


Roses and Oil

by pastelkanan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (mentioned in passing), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, No Aliens, No space stuff, Pining, Polyamory, Smut, Texting, There's a bit of everything, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-03 06:43:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11526714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelkanan/pseuds/pastelkanan
Summary: Shiro is a mechanic. Lotor is a successful lawyer. And Lance? Well, he's a college student working at a convenience store.But somehow, it all works out.





	1. Mutual Admiration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance meets the two most handsome men he's ever met. He's more than happy to get to know them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've never written a polyamory fic before but?? decided to give it a shot. Surprise, motherfuckers. I love shance almost as much as lancelot. It made sense to smush em all together.  
> But anyways! Regarding the fic: like I said in the tags, no space stuff, no aliens. The whole Voltron thing? Nonexistent. They're all just lame little humans with no bionic arms and/or robot lions and/or empires. Just dudes bein bros. And since the aliens aren't really a thing, OBVIOUSLY Lotor can't be fucking PURPLE, so I've been imagining him as some shade of brown but I didn't write that in yet because I'm a piece of shit writer gomen,,, and fuck it if anime girls can have naturally pink hair, yes, the white hair is natural here idgaf at this point. Also, this is my project for Camp NaNoWriMo this year, so I don't have an upload schedule. This can't be much longer than... three-ish chapters?? It's not a huge endeavor like previous fics or anything, I'm just tryna have a good time with my gays.  
> Anyways this is a thing now so have fun with it I guess xoxo

   It was January when he first walked in, his hair all a mess and his ugly overalls stained with oil. He had a long scar across his nose and a patch of white hair nestled among black and the dark gray of an undercut. And even though he had dark circles under his eyes like he needed a rest, even though his clothes were covered in oil and grease, Lance thought that he was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

   The store was empty except for Lance and that stranger. The man walked over to the fridge section and grabbed a water bottle, a full liter, and a cold premade turkey and Swiss sandwich. He looked utterly exhausted as he put his things on the counter and pulled his wallet out of one of the pockets of his overalls.

   “Did you find everything okay?” Lance asked, just the way he was supposed to when someone came up to the counter.

   “Yeah, thanks,” the man replied. There was a small white name tag pinned to the fabric on the left side of the man’s chest. As Lance scanned his items, he could help but sneak a peak; the name tag read _Shiro_ , a name Lance recognized as… Japanese? Yeah, Japanese. Shiro then asked, “Hey, is it okay if I sit outside to eat? It’s my lunch break and I don’t really feel like going back across the street. The breakroom over there stinks.”

   “$3.56, please. I don’t think it’s usually allowed, but as long as you don’t sit right in front of the door I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

   Shiro handed him a five dollar bill. “Thanks. I’ll probably get used to it eventually, but…”

   Lance put Shiro’s items into a bag, then got his change and handed it over. It all clicked into place: the overalls, the stains, even the style of nametag. “You must work with Hunk and Keith over at the mechanic’s place, don’t you?” he asked.

   Shiro nodded. “Yeah. You know those guys?”

   “I’ve been friends with Hunk for years,” Lance replied. “Keith and I met awhile ago when they started dating.”

   “Really?” Shiro asked. “I’ve known Keith for… God. We’re practically brothers at this point. I met Hunk when they started going out.”

   “How’d you get to be working with them? Is that, like, not against the rules? I thought that there was some sort of policy against hiring people you’re friends with or are related to.”

   “I’ve got experience with fixing cars and they had an opening. I guess their place doesn’t have that kind of thing. I didn’t have any problems.” Shiro grabbed his bag. “I’m Shiro. Will I be seeing you over here much?”

   Lance nodded. “I’m here almost every single day. I’m Lance, by the way,” he said, pointing to his own name tag. “It’s nice to meet you.”

   When Shiro smiled, Lance thought his heart was going to explode. “Nice to meet you, Lance. I’ll probably be back tomorrow, depending on how good or bad this sandwich is.”

   Lance smiled back. “Sounds good.”

   He meant that. His eyes followed Shiro all the way to the door, the whole time feeling a weird fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach. He sighed. The last time he got that feeling, everything exploded in his face and he was still, to this day, digging out shrapnel. He told himself to _stop_ , to stop while he was ahead. He didn’t even know anything about that guy other than his name, where he worked, and that he knew that mulleted bastard Keith. Despite himself, he found that he was actually looking forward to the next time he’d see him.

 

*

 

   Two weeks later, a man with long white hair and a deep black suit walked in. Lance’s jaw very nearly dropped, though he managed to catch it as the last second before the man looked at him. “Ah, dear,” the man said, “I was hoping you could help me with something.”

   Lance mentally kicked himself and nodded. “Yeah, of course. What can I help you with?”

   “I’m actually having a small bit of trouble with my car. I was wondering if you have experience with that place across the street.” He sighed. “I've had _awful_ experiences with bad mechanics. I figured there might be someone working here who knows that place.”

   Lance nodded again. “Oh, yeah, they're great. I take my car in there whenever something starts acting up. I'm actually friends with some of the guys who work there.”

   The man sighed in relief. “Thank heavens. How quickly do you think they'll be able to service me? I have a business meeting soon. I was on my way there when my car started to do, well, whatever it is that it's doing. I'm not quite sure.”

   “If you tell them that you're in a rush,” Lance replied, “they'll definitely take care of it as quickly as they can. They're good guys.”

   “Thank you, dear. Or…” His eyes found the name tag on Lance’s shirt. “Lance. Thank you, Lance.”

   Lance was pretty sure that his shitty convenience store job had suddenly shifted into being the _best_ job ever. There seemed to have been a sudden influx of attractive men coming in the doors and talking to him on a level that went beyond customer and cashier.

   He knew he was smiling. He hoped he wasn't blushing. “It's no trouble. Um, can I ask your name? Since you already know mine.”

   The man didn't smile, no, he grinned. Wait, no. No, that wasn't right either. He didn't grin, he _smirked_. Why? Lance didn't understand. “Of course, dear. My name is Lotor. It is truly a pleasure to meet you. I don't normally come to this part of town, but I may be able to find a reason to if I'll get to see you again.”

   Well, there went all of Lance’s hopes that he wasn't blushing. He _definitely_ was. He could feel the heat in his cheeks, could practically hear his own heartbeat. He had trouble keeping eye contact with Lotor. “I, uh. Well, I mean, yeah. I'm h-here pretty much every day. But you shouldn't go out of your way just to come see me or whatever.”

   “Nonsense,” Lotor said as he started back towards the door. “I will visit again, dear, if it means I'll get to see those pretty eyes of yours again. Until then.”

   And then he was gone.

 

*

 

   Lance had hated his job since day one. The pay was awful, there were more rude customers than nice ones, his work hours combined with his school hours during the school year kicked his _ass_ , and since he was the new guy, he often got stuck with the shitty tasks around the store that nobody else wanted to deal with. He had lost track of how many times he had been made to clean the counters by the drink machines and how many times he had been left as the sole cashier up front while everyone else lounged around in one of the back rooms. He was so fucking done with this shit.

   Despite his concerns about maybe not being able to find another job if he left this one, he had been about ready to quit. And then Shiro and Lotor started coming into the store all the time and, even though the job as a whole was basically a living hell, the two of them made the job tolerable. They made him look forward to going to work, they really did. It had been about six months since those two had started coming into the store, either separately or together, and each and every time they visited Lance got that fluttering feeling in his stomach. It was both paradise and purgatory.

   In the six months that Lance had known them, he had gotten to know them better than he thought he might have. They were just customers, right? Nothing special. There were loads of regular customers that came in and out of the store every day, getting slushie drinks or frozen yogurt or beer every weekend. Some of them were sweet, smiling and asking him how his day had been so far as they laid out their items and paid. Some of them were not-so-sweet, mostly the ones who came in every weekend to get a case of beer, always looking grumpy and sighing irritatedly when Lance told them their total as if it ever changed. But Shiro and Lotor…

   They weren’t just customers anymore. He wasn’t sure if they considered him to be a friend, but he thought very highly of them. Did he consider them to be friends? Was that it? No, he thought that it wasn’t. Hunk was his friend, Keith was his friend. The local techies, Pidge and her brother Matt, occasionally crawled out of their holes long enough to come see him and he considered them to be friends. He didn’t get that weird fluttery feeling with them. Seeing them cheered him up, considering that, aside from them, he didn’t really _have_ a lot of friends. His roommate was a douchebag. The people in his classes were also douchebags. People were douchebags in general, really. He had learned that the hard way after living a soft life as a child surrounded by people who loved him unconditionally.

   He didn’t see Shiro and Lotor as _friends_ . When they smiled at him, no matter how shitty his day had been, he always, _always_ felt better. When they laughed at something he said, there was this feeling in his heart like he had done something incredibly _right_ and he wanted to hear them laugh as much as he possibly could. Just seeing them made him feel like his heart was going to burst in his chest and he’d just fucking die right then and there. He didn’t think of them as just _regular customers_ , he didn’t see them as just friends. He… he adored them, and he had never even had the chance to spend time with them outside of the store.

   But it didn’t matter. It didn’t fucking matter if he thought they were both drop dead gorgeous or if they made his life better than it had been before they met. He would’ve spent more time thinking about himself, wondering how he had gotten to a point in his life where he could actually have massive crushes on not one, but _two_ handsome and incredibly kind men, but that didn’t matter either. They were dating. He hadn’t seen it coming; he had known that they started to talk while Shiro was taking care of Lotor’s car that day and he had known that they had gotten to be friends, but he hadn’t known they had gotten that close.

   Shiro had been the one to drop the bomb that day. Shiro had come in for his daily water and sandwich, the day no different from any others. And then Lance asked, “So, what’ve you been up to since yesterday?”

   Shiro smiled in a particular way, a kind of way Lance wasn’t sure he had ever seen before. His heart couldn’t take this. Shiro was _so_ pretty. It was fucking unfair. Then Shiro said, “Well, Lotor actually came to see me at my place last night. We hung out for awhile and… he asked me to go on a date with him sometime.”

   Lance froze. Maybe he just looked surprised, standing there with wide eyes and no words to say, but it wasn’t just that. He wasn’t just surprised. He felt like he had just been punched in the fucking gut. He took a deep breath and then said, “Oh? What’d you say?”

   “I said yes, obviously,” Shiro replied. “He’s special, but I don’t have to tell you that. You know what he’s like. All flirty and sweet all the time. I’m really happy. We’re going out this Friday.”

   Lance managed to nod. “That’s great,” he said in his most convincing supportive voice. “I’m happy for you guys. You have fun.”

   “I will,” Shiro promised. “We’re gonna go out for dinner. We haven’t decided where yet, but he’s so fucking ridiculous. He’ll probably try to take me somewhere obnoxiously fancy and then he’ll try to pay for the whole thing instead of letting me help out.” He rolled his eyes. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though, what with the whole _successful lawyer_ thing. When he first visited my place, he looked _horrified_. I live in a really, really tiny apartment by myself. He must think I’m poor as all hell.”

   “You should probably just let him pay,” Lance said. “He’ll fight you tooth and nail over it. I know him. I mean, remember Valentine’s? He brought me a fuckton of roses because he didn’t want me to feel left out. I tried to tell him that he didn’t have to do that, but did he listen? Absolutely not.”

   Shiro chuckled. “Yeah. He’s a pain sometimes, but he’s really great. He really is.”

   Lance nodded. “He sure is. I’m sure you guys will have fun. Don’t get into too much trouble, alright?”

   Shiro actually fucking winked. “I can’t promise that.”

   Lance rolled his eyes and tried to convince himself that he wasn’t going to fucking cry. Had he been an idiot? He must have been. He had been imagining things. He had thought that there was an underlying affection that came with the roses Lotor had given him on Valentine’s. He had thought that Shiro _always_ coming to see him and _always_ saying stupid cute things to him meant something more.

   For a little while, he had had a slight hope that they could feel the same way about him that he felt about them. But they felt that way about each other, not about him. Maybe their sweet flirtiness with each other had bled over into their relationship with Lance.

   Lance watched Shiro as he left. For the first time in months, Lance really hated his job.

 

*

 

(Shirogane)

I think we fucked up.

 

(Lotor)

What do you mean?

 

(Shirogane)

One of us should have asked Lance out first. Should’ve done it differently.

It probably would’ve been better if you or I had asked him out and then, after a little while, we approached the main topic.

I went to see him today and I told him that you asked me out. He tried to be happy for me, but…

He looked crushed.

 

(Lotor)

Shit.

 

(Shirogane)

What do we do?

 

(Lotor)

Do you think he’s upset over you, me, or both of us?

 

(Shirogane)

I wish I knew. I feel awful. He looked happy enough when I came in, and then I told him and his face just fell and I…

What if he’s only upset about one of us? And he doesn’t like it when we try to talk to him because he was only upset about the one guy and then we try to pull him into something like this?

 

(Lotor)

Shiro, calm down. You’re panicking again.

 

(Shirogane)

What else am I supposed to do?

I don’t want him to be upset because of me. I want him to be happy and all I did today was fuck him up.

 

(Lotor)

Shiro.

It’ll be okay.

We’ll figure it out, okay? I promise. We’ll discuss it with him in a few days, alright?

 

(Shirogane)

And if he freaks out?

 

(Lotor)

We’ll deal with the struggles as they come.

If he rejects us when we talk to him about it, then we’ll just have to deal with it.

 

(Shirogane)

I don’t want to lose him because we did this in the wrong order.

 

(Lotor)

Neither do I, love.

Neither do I.

 

*

 

   Lotor hovered by one of the candy displays as he waited for the line at the counter to shorten and disappear. Why was Lance the only one up there? He knew for a fact that there were other workers there at the time; no self-respecting business would leave one single person to do all the work. Lotor had gained a bit of a reputation for being a shark of a lawyer, but at least he took decent care of the people who worked underneath him. Everyone who worked for him was given fair pay for the amount of work he expected each of them to take on. But this? What this place was doing to Lance? Unacceptable. They made him do the work of two people while giving him half of the pay a single person would deserve.

   One by one, the people in line were taken care of and left. When there was no one in his way, Lotor walked over to the counter. “Lance,” he said, “I was thinking. We’re friends, yes? But we don’t get to talk nearly as much as I would like for us to. I was wondering, perhaps, if you have this certain messaging app. I remember when you told me that you have very little data on your cell plan and that you mostly survive on your wifi at home, you know.”

   Lance tried to ignore the gross, awful feeling in his stomach. He didn't remember if it had been Lotor or Shiro that he had first developed a crush on, but before he knew it, they were together and he was left in the, well, whatever place this was. He didn't particularly care for or believe in the concept of the _friend zone._

   He nodded instead of wasting time thinking about how miserable he was. “What app?”

   Lotor paused. “Actually… I forgot what it's called. Hold on.”

   Even though knowing that Lotor would be going home to Shiro later hurt like hell, Lance couldn't help but laugh. “Seriously? How hard is it to remember an app’s name?”

   “I'm a very busy man,” Lotor replied. “Did you forget that I'm one of the top lawyers in the region?” He pulled out his phone and opened it, flipping through the pages until he found the right one. He turned the screen around to show Lance. “This one.”

   “Dude. _Everyone_ has that app,” Lance said. There was a pad of paper and a pen in a drawer under the counter. He got them out and wrote down his username. “Here. Why do you want it, though?”

   “I want to talk to you, dear. Also, I'm headed out of town next week for business. I have a client a few counties away that I have to take care of.” He smiled sweetlyーso sweetly that Lance’s heart hurt with the weight of his hopeless feelings for himーand took the paper. “I've generally only been away for a few days at a time since we met, never as long as I need to be gone this time. I would be quite miserable if I had to go the entire time without getting to talk to you. You know I adore having you around.”

   Lance knew he was blushing and he hated it. He couldn't do this. This was all wrong. His stomach felt like it was going to fall right out of him and straight through the floor, his heart felt like it was going to swell and burst at the sweet things Lotor said to him. “Alright,” he said. “That's… I mean, I'm glad you like talking to me so much. And I hope you manage to have some fun on your trip. But I'm gonna need you to buy something, okay? You know you can't just _hang out_ if you aren't gonna use the toilet or buy something.”

   “Then what do you recommend I buy today?” Lotor asked, leaning a little farther forward than Lance thought was necessary. The closeness made his heart pound. “I trust your taste.”

   Lance prayed to every god in human history that the shaking in his hands wasn't too obvious. He tended to get shaky hands when he was overly emotional and _damn_ if he wasn't overly emotional right then. He pointed to a display of fancy-looking potato chips with “Premium!” on the bag. “We just got those in today. I thought they looked kinda good. You could try them.”

   Lotor stepped over to the display and picked up a bag, then walked back over to Lance. “Very well, then. But, good lord, is that price tag accurate?”

   Lance scanned the bag and nodded. “Yep. Not like _you_ have to worry about it, though. You're, like, Mr. Moneybags over here.”

   “True,” Lotor said, “but not all are as fortunate as I am. No matter how you look at it, that's far too much money for this little bag.” He handed Lance a five dollar bill and told him to keep the change. He opened the bag and took out a chip, pitifully small for as much as the bag cost. “Open your mouth,” he all but ordered.

   “Uh, what?”

   “You heard me. Open your mouth. Don't you trust me?”

   Lance sighed in mock irritation and then opened his mouth. Lotor grinned the whole time as he slowly, ridiculously slowly, placed the chip on Lance’s tongue. Lance was about ninety-nine percent he was about to die. He shut his mouth tight as soon as Lotor’s fingers were out of the way.

   He was so overwhelmed with the moment that he couldn't have told anyone what the chip tasted like.

 

*

 

   Lance’s phone emitted a loud, irritating sound that told him he had a new message. He picked up the phone from where it laid next to him on the bed, opened the only app that made such obnoxious noises. For whatever reason, this app had decided not to show anyone’s display names until their conversations had been accepted. Lotor hadn't given Lance his username, so the one he saw was entirely unfamiliar. Who else would it have been, though?

 

(hidden)

Lance, dear?

 

   He tapped the _accept message_ button. The display name popped up immediately. He wasn't surprised.

 

(Lance ♡)

Hey, Lotor c:

 

(Lotor)

Ah, I'm glad I got it right. I wasn't sure if that was an a or an o.

 

(Lance ♡)

I know, I know, my handwriting is shit

 

(Lotor)

Now, I certainly didn't say that.

 

(Lance ♡)

It's true though ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 

(Lotor)

Aw, you still use emoticons instead of emojis? That's adorable.

 

(Lance ♡)

Shut up omg

Emojis are kinda ugly anyways I mean the face emojis are that awful shade of yellow so what's the point

 

(Lotor)

Fair enough. They are a bit odd.

But may I ask about that cute little heart in your display name?

 

(Lance ♡)

I just really love it it's super cute

I love cute things

 

(Lotor)

Then hopefully you love yourself.

 

(Lance ♡)

Dude oh my god don't even

Plus you're, like, dating Shiro now, so is it really okay for you to say shit like that to me??

 

(Lotor)

I assure you, if I put together a group chat for the three of us, he would do the same thing.

You’re special to us.

 

(Lance ♡)

Pft

Prove it

 

(Lotor)

Consider it done.

 

   The next thing Lance knew, he was getting an invite to a group chat called “Proof.” He rolled his eyes and accepted the invitation.

 

(Shirogane)

Hi, Lance~

 

(Lance ♡)

Holy shit you end things with the fucking fairy squiggle

 

(Shirogane)

You have a heart in your display name.

 

(Lotor)

He thinks it's cute.

 

(Lance ♡)

It is cute!

At least my display name isn't lame like you guys’ are

 

(Shirogane)

Shirogane has sent you a .gif

 

(Lance ♡)

Oh my god he uses gifs???

 

(Lotor)

All the time. He loves them.

 

(Lance ♡)

I can't believe this wtf

 

(Shirogane)

I'm cuter than you think I am. <3

 

(Lance ♡)

Hoooooly shit

Why are you heart emoticon-ing me

 

(Shirogane)

Because you are also cute and deserve hearts~ <3

 

(Lotor)

I told you.

 

(Lance ♡)

WHAT THE FUCK

 

(Shirogane)

Why are you so surprised that I think you're cute? You are.

 

(Lance ♡)

  1. I'm rly not that cute
  2. you're dating Lotor?? He's right there?? Why y'all sayin this shit right in front of each other I don't get it??



 

(Lotor)

Lance, dear. It's alright. We… admire you. Yes, that's the right word.

We admire you. There is no shame between the two of us for complimenting you.

 

(Shirogane)

Yeah. Lance, you don't understand how much we really like you.

 

(Lance ♡)

???????

 

(Lotor)

Ah. Perhaps this is not the place to talk about it. Shiro, what do you want to do about this?

 

(Shirogane)

How about the three of us all go out to a movie when you get back from your business trip?

There's that new superhero movie coming up. I know for a fact that all three of us have wanted to see it.~ We can talk about it after that.

 

(Lotor)

That sounds good to me. Lance? What do you think?

 

(Lance ♡)

Look man idk what the fuck is goin on but if I can get a free movie ticket out of it… (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

 

(Shirogane)

Shirogane sent you a .gif

 

(Lotor)

Obviously, I would be the one throwing all the money around. You live in a shithole, Shiro. Don't act like a rich man and send us money gifs.

 

(Shirogane)

Just because I live in a shithole doesn't mean I'm totally poor.

 

(Lotor)

Lance, you're a mostly broke college student, yes? What’s your place like?

 

(Lance ♡)

Uhh I mean it's pretty standard

Living room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms

My roommate and I go half and half on the rent and bills and shit but he's a total dick and sometimes I have to cover for more than we agreed to >.>

 

(Shirogane)

Should I punch him?

 

(Lance ♡)

I've seen you in those nasty ass sleeveless tank tops you wear ok

Judging by the size of your arms you would kill him in one hit

 

(Shirogane)

Well, at least then all my hard work would have gone to a good use.

 

(Lance ♡)

And what would that good use be, exactly?

 

(Shirogane)

Defending your honor <3

 

(Lance ♡)

For fucks sake

 

(Lotor)

Oh, don't listen to him. Here. If your roommate slacks off and doesn't pay his fair share, you tell me. I'm more than happy to cover the difference for you.

 

(Lance ♡)

I appreciate the thought, but I can't let you do that

 

(Lotor)

Why not?

 

(Lance ♡)

Because, I'm a grown ass man and I need to take care of my own damn bills

Besides when it gets to be a little closer to my lease finishing up I'm gonna start looking for a new roommate so I'll be fine

 

(Lotor)

Alright, alright. Very well.

But if you ever need help, do not hesitate to come to me. I'll always be here to help you.

 

(Lance ♡)

Thank you, Lotor. I appreciate it.

 

(Shirogane)

But if your next roommate is also a jerk…

 

(Lance ♡)

My patience will have worn out and you'll have full permission to punch them, killing them instantly

 

(Shirogane)

I'll do my best.

 

   Lance wasn't sure why, considering all of the emotional turmoil he had already felt, but it didn't hurt to talk to them like that. It was comfortable, actually, like somehow this was how it was supposed to be.

   He figured his heart would start aching and his stomach would start tying itself into knots again tomorrow. For now, he smiled and tapped out his next response.

 

*

 

   Lotor had been serious about still wanting to talk to Lance while he was out of town. On Lotor’s first day out of town, Lance woke up to messages on his phone.

 

(Lotor)

Good morning, Lance! I’m sorry I won’t be able to come see you.

I told Shiro to take good care of you while I’m gone. Maybe that was wrong of me. Even though I know you have other friends, I made sure you won’t be lonely. I hope you don’t mind.

I’m sure you have a lot to do today. I know you’re a very busy person, juggling school and work, even if you're out for the summer at the moment. I’m very proud of you. Have a good day, dear. Do your best!

I don’t know when I’ll be free to respond, but message me whenever you want. I’ll reply as soon as I can. I promise.

  


(Lance ♡)

Yeah. I’ll do my best!

 

   He yawned and crawled out of bed, smiling the whole time. Lotor always knew how to make him happy. But his smile fell when he remembered. Lotor was Shiro and Shiro was Lotor’s and Lance didn’t fit into the equation at all. He was just kinda… there. He was just a number that got cancelled out, one that didn’t do anything but exist to add more complication to the problem. He still wondered what it was that Shiro and Lotor had been talking about in their group chat, that thing they needed to discuss when Lotor got back. What could it be? He left his phone on the bed as he got ready for the day, the thoughts never leaving his head. Maybe they were tired of him. Maybe they were going to tell him that they didn’t really want to be friends anymore, that the whole thing where the three of them went to the movie together was just to make sure that their friendship had a good ending. Something like that.

   He shook his head so hard it hurt. That couldn’t be true, right? No. No way. They weren’t like that. That wouldn’t try to do something that shitty. God, why was he like this? Fucking why? He had been so trusting when he was a child, back before he was first hurt. And now that he had experienced that first hurt, he never stopped worrying about people’s intentions. He had no realistic reason to doubt Shiro and Lotor. They had _never_ been anything but good to him. He wanted to drive his head straight through the fucking wall for being such a paranoid asshole. They cared about him. They loved him.

   In a different way than he loved them. What was he to them? Shiro was a couple years older than Lance was and Lotor was… how old was he, again? Like, twenty-six? Twenty-seven? Not that it was a huge deal or anything; Lance’s twentieth birthday had just come and gone, and both of them had bought presents for him. It suddenly struck Lance how incredibly successful Lotor was for his age, but considering his intelligence and his father, he supposed it wasn’t _that_ insane. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was, with their ages, maybe the two of them saw him as a younger brother, like the way Keith was like a brother to Shiro. He hoped with every fiber of his being that that wasn’t the case.

   He grabbed his phone and threw it in the backpack he always brought when he was done showering and eating breakfast. His shift started soon. He had slept too long. There wasn’t enough time in the day for Lance to keep worrying for hours on end.

   Not that work kept him from worrying. Growing up, the house had always been a bit hectic. He had inherited the ability to multitask from his mother, so there he was, half of his attention being used on his job and the other half on whatever his problem could be described as. For the first time in _forever_ , a part of him wished school was in session. At least then he'd have homework to try to focus on.

   He sat behind the counter while some of his co-workers flitted around the store, straightening things on the shelves or mopping or fucking _whatever._ He didn't care what they were doing. All he cared about was how miserable he was and how stupid he was and how curious he was andー

   “Lance?”

   He snapped back into the real world. “Huh? What? Oh, Hunk. Hey. Sorry. I was zoned out there for a second.”

   Hunk nodded as he laid the items on the counter. The same water bottle Shiro always bought, the same sandwich. “I noticed. Shiro’s busy with a pretty beat up car, so he asked me if I could come over and grab some stuff for him. Are you okay?”

   Lance sighed as he stood from his chair and started to scan the items. “Not really. Has Shiro… said anything? Like, about me?”

   Hunk’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

   Lance shook his head. “I mean, no reason. He always comes in, even if he's busy. I was just wondering.”

   “Well, no. Not really. He told us that you and him and Lotor are all going to go see a movie together soon. That's fun.”

   “Yeah.”

   “You aren't okay, are you?”

   “Not really.”

   “What's up?”

   “Can you keep a secret for me?”

   “Of course,” Hunk replied. “You know you can trust me, bud. I've got your back.”

   Lance put the stuff in a bag and sat it on the counter. Hunk made no move to grab it and leave. “Well, you know him and Lotor started dating. No big deal, right? A couple of grown ass men can make their own decisions. But, thing is, I… I kind of, like, _like_ them? Like both of them? And when Shiro told me they were gonna go out I was _so_ fucking depressed because my dumb ass went and got massive crushes on _both_ of them and then! Then they're both gone! Fuckin’ datin’ each other! And listen, I _am_ happy for them, I really am. They deserve to be happy. And I'm not gonna go whining and crying about it around them. I'm doing my best to not be all mopey and gross because, well, you know them. They'll be all like, _oh my god Lance sweetie are you okay what's wrong who should I sue and-slash-or fight to the death?_ and I am _not_ gonna deal with that.”

   “I see.”

   “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

   “I’ve never been in that position,” Hunk said. “I really don’t know what I could do to help. Have you tried just _talking_ with them?”

   “Are you kidding? There’s no way I could do that.” Lance glanced over at the door, the one Shiro always walked in through. “They’ve got each other now. I’m just one of their friends. It’s fine. I’ll be okay eventually. I just wish… I wish that I was braver. That I was able to tell them. But I can’t.”

   Hunk grabbed the bag and started towards the door. “I’ve seen the way they look at you, Lance. You’re more important to them than you think. If I were you, I wouldn’t count yourself out quite yet.”

   “Wait, Hunk, what do you mean? Don’t fuckin’ walk out on me like that! What are you talking about?”

   Hunk shrugged lightly, in a way that could have been described as vaguely mysterious. Like he knew something that Lance didn’t. He opened the door. Before he stepped outside, he looked back over his shoulder at Lance and said, “Keep your head up, alright? You’ll see.”

   Lance was left feeling even more confused than he had ever been.

 

*

 

(Shirogane)

We’re on our way. We’ll be there soon.

 

(Lance ♡)

I’m waiting outside :3

 

(Shirogane)

Do you want to sit in the passenger seat? I’ll take the back, if you want. Lotor’s driving.

 

(Lance ♡)

Don’t worry about it! I don’t mind sitting in the back

 

(Shirogane)

You sure?

 

(Lance ♡)

Yessss it’s no big deal

 

(Shirogane)

Alright. If you insist. But I’m still going to get out of the car to hold open the door for you.

 

(Lance ♡)

Wow I can’t believe that chivalry isn’t actually dead

 

(Shirogane)

I take good care of the people I like. <3

 

(Lance ♡)

I’m fucking turning my phone off until you guys get here oh my god I can’t deal with you

All those fuckin heart emotes you’re so ridiculous (一。一;;）

I’ll see you guys when you get here

 

(Shirogane)

Nooooooooo stay with me.~

Lance?

Holy shit, you actually turned your phone off, didn’t you?

</3

 

   Lance sighed and looked up at the sky. His stomach twisted in knots as he sat waiting for them, his heart nearly pounding straight out of his chest. He had woken up way too early that morning, the whole time thinking about every single interaction with Shiro and Lotor that he could remember.

   Lotor had just gotten back from his business trip a couple of days ago. He had used those days to rest up a bit, regathering his mental strength after an exhausting case. At least, that was what he said. Now, it wasn't that Lance _doubted_ him, but he didn't really understand how Lotor could be so tired after a case. Then again, Lance felt totally drained after finals every year, so maybe it was like that? He supposed that answering multiple choice questions was probably a lot easier than proving someone’s innocence in front of a judge and a jury and, occasionally, an audience. Maybe he'd ask about it when they got there.

   In general, Lance disliked movie theaters. He loved going to see movies, sure, but the theater itself? Hell. He stretched his legs out in front of him from where he sat on the steps, soaking up as much of that summer sun as he possibly could. One he got into the theater, he'd start freezing to death. Which was why he had a blanket folded on his lap. He was taking it with him, damn whatever the people at the ticket and concessions stands thought of him for it. He liked to be warm while he watched his movies, thank you very much.

   But he was going to be with Shiro and Lotor. He might just be so fucking embarrassed that he wouldn't need the blanket. There was one thing he definitely hated about this, just one. Where was he going to sit? Would he sit beside Lotor or Shiro? Surely they'd want to sit together and he would just be interrupting that if he tried to sit in the middle. Not that he been _planning_ to sit in the middle. The middle seat always got stuck holding all the popcorn and not having any armrests. It was stupid.

   If they _wanted_ him to sit in the middle, though…

He shook the thought out of his head. No. They wouldn't want that. That was dumb. They’d be sitting next to each other, obviously. Why did he even consider it? Oh, right. Because he still had that awful crush on them and, even though he knew better, he was holding out hope. Especially after what Hunk said at the store a few days ago, about not counting himself out or whatever. Evidently Hunk knewーor _thought_ that he knewーsomething that Lance didn’t, something about the three of them. Maybe even something about their outing today, something they had failed to mention to him but had discussed with someone he was close to in order to make sure he’d like it.

   He was starting to feel nauseous again. He couldn’t keep doing this. Thankfully, before he could do any more worrying, he heard a car pulling up. He looked back down from where he had been focusing on a cloud. The car, sleek and black and probably expensive, had pulled to a stop. Shiro stepped out of the passenger side.

   “You left me all alone when you turned your phone off,” Shiro jokingly whined. “How mean.”

   Lance rolled his eyes as he stood. “Yeah, I’m sure you were just _so_ lonely without me.”

   Shiro opened the door to the backseat. “What’s up with the blanket?”

   “I get cold in theaters,” Lance said. He put the blanket in the car before climbing in for himself. “Figured I might need it.”

   “That’s adorable,” Lotor said. Shiro shut Lance’s door when he was in and buckled up, then got back into his own seat. “Isn’t that cute, Shiro?”

   Shiro nodded. “Gotta admit, it is pretty cute. Most people just bring jackets. Speaking of, Lance, how are you wearing that thing in the middle of summer?”

   He shrugged. “It’s comfortable. Not as hot as you’d think, either. It’s pretty lightweight.”

   “Which is why you need the blanket, I assume?” Lotor asked.

   “Yeah. Also, jackets don’t cover your legs. I know, I know, why do I need a blanket to cover my legs when I’m wearing long pants? To which I say, fuck you. That’s why.” Lotor and Shiro both started snickering before it turned into full-on laughter. Their laughter was contagious. Lance ended up laughing at himself. “I mean, listen! I, like, can’t handle the cold! Any kind of cold, including fuckin’ air conditioners! Nobody gets it!” he said between bouts of laughter. Lotor was forced to reign in his emotions as much as he could, considering that he was behind the wheel and had to drive. Shiro, however, did _not_ have to drive, and he had a hand on his forehead as he laughed. “It’s so fuckin’ _cold_ in theaters!”

   Shiro struggled to catch his breath. “Y-You’re actually adorable, holy shit! How doーdo you survive _winter_?”

   “I _don’t_ ,” he replied. “I’m dead inside every fucking winter!”

   Lotor quickly glanced into the back. Lance saw the huge grin on his face and his heart skipped a beat. Shiro regained control of himself and stopped laughing. Lotor looked away too soon, then said, “It sounds like you need someone to keep you warm, then.”

   Lance grinnedーeven though the statement struck a little too close to home considering the circumstancesーand looked out the window. “It’d be nice. Maybe one day I’ll find someone.”

   “I don’t think you’ll have to wait very long,” Lotor replied. “You’re very special. Perhaps you’ll have someone by this coming up winter.”

   “Thanks, I think?” Lance said. “I’m not gonna hold my breath.”

   “Why not?”

   “Because I just can’t see it happening so fast. Winter isn’t that far away. I mean, it's August. There’s only a few more months and I'm gonna be spending them in school. That's just a couple weeks away.” He continued to stare out the window, at all the other cars and buildings and trees and people. People who weren’t all fucked up the way he was, miserable about how much he liked the people in the front seats and how he was just their friend. “I don’t really _need_ anyone. I just need more blankets. Preferably thicker ones than I already own.”

   Lotor looked over at Shiro. Shiro looked over at Lotor. Lance didn’t look anywhere in particular, just saw things as they passed by.

   Lance had been right, though. It was cold as balls in the theater. Even though he got a few weird looks as he carried his folded-up blanket under his arm, nothing came of it; Shiro and Lotor, both of them towering over Lance and everyone else they saw, made sure that any judging stares were shut down as soon as they were noticed.

   Something happened that he didn't expect. He had managed to haul his blanket and his popcorn and his drink to a decent seat in the theater, managed to get all nice and comfortable in his chair. Shiro sat on his left. And then, for reasons he didn't know or understand, Lotor sat on his right. He was in the middle and he didn't know why. After the days Lotor had spent away from home, Lance had kinda figured that those two would be inseparable. That was how newly blossomed romances worked, right? They came with an inability to stay away from each other. That was what Lance had always heard. His past relationships couldn't really be defined as _romances._ They were more like flings, like attempts, like vague tries. Romance seemed to enjoy avoiding him.

   Even though Lance had thought he wouldn't get any arm rests, he got both. The only thing he was responsible for was the popcorn, naturally, as they got one huge bag instead of three medium bags. Shiro and Lotor had also gotten some other things, a box of chocolate candy and a bag of watermelon flavored gummies. Lance mooched off of both of them. Hey, he was holding the popcorn. It was only fair that he got to nab a few candies from each of them.

   He wrapped his blanket around himself like a cape as they left, letting them deal with everything else. Stepping back outside into the summer heat was like stepping into heaven. God, he hated how cold theaters were. Absolutely hated it.

   He had assumed that they'd be taking him home after the movie was over. They hadn't mentioned any other plans, so he was a bit surprised when Shiro looked back into the backseat and said, “We’re gonna go somewhere else, okay? It'll be fun, I promise.”

   Lance was positive that his confusion crept onto his face. Still, he nodded and said, “Alright. Where are we going?”

   “You'll see,” Lotor said. Lance couldn't see the slight grin on his face.

 

*

 

   Lance had never been to this botanical garden. He had never been to any botanical garden, actually.  When Lotor had pulled into the parking lot and announced that they had arrived, Lance had been slightly taken aback. He hadn't been sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't this.

   “I listen when you talk,” Lotor said. “You told me once that you like this sort of thing but never have the time. I assumed you had the time today. If I'm wrong, I can take you back home. However, if I'm _right_ …”

   Lance laughed a little. This was unreal. Lotor couldn't possibly be a real person. He really had come to expect the worst from people, hadn't he? Always thinking that people didn't listen to him or didn't care. “I absolutely have time,” he replied. “Thank you. Really, I mean it. Thank you. This is awesome.”

   It had been well worth the wait. Lance was definitely the kind of person who would choose a beach vacation over a mountain vacation, but this place was special. It helped that it had water fixtures everywhere, fountains and tiny streams and ponds and mist machines. The flowers grew big and bright and beautiful, and he, with a mother that _adored_ flowers, took more pictures than he cared to count. He had enough storage on his phone for it, but it certainly wouldn't hurt for him to post them somewhere and delete them from his phone just to be sure. He wasn't some rich guyーlike Lotorーwho could afford a two hundred gigabyte phone, after all. His was somewhere in the thirties. It was rather unfortunate.

   They took a break after a little while, finding a nice bench to sit on, the bench nestled among tall bushes. He sighed happily as he sat down, then took in a deep breath full of the scent of wet greenery and flowers. Like they had in the theater, Shiro sat on his left and Lotor sat on his right. He was upset he had never been here before, grateful that Lotor and Shiro had been with him the first time he came. He had completely forgotten his misery, the thoughts that they didn't care about him as much as he cared about them buried under laughter in the theater and a certain tranquility that came with being surrounded by plants. This was the life.

   And then Lotor was clearing his throat. “Lance, dear? Shiro and I have something to discuss with you.”

   Lance snapped back to full attention. “What's up? Is everything alright?”

   “Of course, of course,” Lotor reassured. “There's nothing wrong. It's actually a rather happy thing, in my own opinion.”

   “I agree,” Shiro said. “This is good. Promise. At least, we think it's good. You might not feel the same. We aren't sure.”

   Lance tilted his head in confusion. “I'm getting a lot of mixed signals here.”

   Shiro chuckled. “Sorry. There's a lot of stuff going on in my head right now. You know what? Lotor, I'm gonna let you lead. You're better at this kind of thing than I am.”

   Lotor nodded. “As you wish. Lance, I first have to ask… are you, by any chance, interested in anyone? Romantically, I mean.”

   Lance paused for a long moment. He looked away from Lotor and down at the stone path that led to the bench. “Yeah,” he eventually managed to say. “I am. Um, well, a couple people, actually. But I don't think they feel the same.”

   “Are those people seeing each other?” Lotor asked.

   Lance took a deep breath. “Uh. Yeah, actually. How'd you guess that? Do I seem that miserable?”

   “Nevermind how I know. Now, tell me honestly. I am a lawyer, I'm sure you remember. I can tell if you're lying to me. Would those people happen to be Shiro and I?”

   Lance’s breath caught in his throat and he almost choked on it. “IーI, wh-what? Where'd you get that idea?”

   Lotor reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of Lance’s face. “Lance.”

   Lance nearly jumped out of his skin when suddenly Shiro was touching him too, his hand pressed against Lance’s back gently and yet… possessively? “Yes,” he admitted in a single shaky breath.

   “Oh thank God,” Shiro said, adjusting his hand to be wrapped around Lance’s waist instead of resting on his back. “I was scared you were gonna say no.”

   “We haven't asked him the real question yet, Shiro,” Lotor reminded. “Which brings me to it. We really should have asked you first. Over these past few months, we've gotten to know you. And we know that you can be absurdly insecure when you have no need to be. Shiro told me how upset you looked when he told you that we had started dating. We've both felt horrible since then.” He sighed softly, sadly. “I apologize. We should have better planned this. We thought you would be thrilled when we posed our question, but we did not consider how you'd feel _before_ we got to asking it. That's why we’re here now. To ask you the thing we've wanted to know for a long time now.”

   Lance managed to look up at Lotor again. There was a soft look on his face, utter affection. Love? No. It couldn't be. Lance’s heart was _seriously_ going to burst this time.

   “We’ve meant every single thing we've ever said to you. We’d like for you to be with us, Lance. And I mean that. Perhaps you don't think that we have _room_ for you in our existing relationship, but if you want to know the truth, our relationship began mostly because of our mutual admiration of you.” Lotor had a kind smile on his face, the kind nobody but his motherーwho always talked about how she loved him _unconditionally_ ーhad ever shown him. “We found that we rather liked each other, but our intention was always for it to be the three of us. We would… understand if you don't want that, if being with both of us would be too much for you, but we figured that it was worth a try.”

   “You want _me_ to be with both of _you_?” Lance asked incredulously. “Seriously? Like, long-term? Not just, like, a one-time thing?”

   “Yes,” Lotor replied. “Precisely.”

   “Lance, I'm sorry for putting you through however much upset you felt when we started going out,” Shiro added. “Lotor’s right. We always meant for it to be all of us. So, if you'll let us, we'd like to start making it up to you.”

   If Lance hadn't already been sitting down, he would have fallen. His knees had grown weak. He doubted he'd be able to stand up any time soon. “You guysーyou mean that? For real? I… I, fuck, I’d really l-like that.”

   “Really?” Lotor asked, it finally being his turn to be surprised. Shiro had a similar look on his face. “You're sure we wouldn't drive you insane?”

   “I'm not sure about anything when it comes to you guys,” Lance admitted, “but I trust you. I think that's what counts. I want to be with you guys.”

   Shiro pulled Lance into a hug. “Thank God,” he said again. “We’re gonna be _so_ good to you.”

   Lance rolled his eyes, though there was a massive smile plastered across his face. The misery was gone. The doubts were gone. He had been so afraid, so fucking _terrified_ that they didn’t really like him, it had seemed like he’d never get to hang out with them ever again without feeling bad. Now? He didn’t have any trouble believing what they said. He chuckled and said, “You already do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why am I like this tbh


	2. Holiday Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter was the worst. But when Lance was with Shiro and Lotor, it wasn't that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So listen. I can explain why I boosted up the rating so much so fast. I mean, there's not like hardcore smut or anything, but I think I included enough detail for it to be rated E at this point, y'know what I mean? I guess it's subjective, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. In any case, there's a bit of a timeskip here, so that's a thing. But it's fine. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. <3

   Lance yawned and flopped down onto Shiro’s couch. It had been about five and a half months since he had started out with Shiro and Lotor, coming up on a year since he had first met Shiro. It was freezing outside, the wind howling and nipping at every inch of exposed skin. He  _ hated _ winter, but Shiro made it bearable. It would've been even better if Lotor was there, but he was out of town on business again. Sometimes it felt like Lotor was  _ too _ successful. If he had just been a regular local lawyer, he'd probably be making less money but he'd be at home more. Both of his boyfriends wanted that; neither Shiro nor Lance gave half a shit  _ how _ rich or poor Lotor was, they just wanted him at home. 

   They'd been out all day doing what everyone of their monetary standing dreaded: Christmas shopping. But, thankfully, they weren't dumbasses who insisted on buying all new shit every Christmas. They had spent the day bouncing between dollar stores, collecting all the supplies they needed for a day full of making D.I.Y. gifts Lance found on the internet. He'd be making his gift for Shiro on his own sometime later, but they'd be working together for now on making gifts for their friends and families. 

   At least, they would when they got off the couch. Lance curled up, still wearing all of his big bulky clothes, desperately trying to warm up. Regardless of how much walking they had done, how warm it was inside the stores, it was still cold as balls outside. It was the kind of cold that sunk down deep into the bones, gripping tight and refusing to let go. He hated winter so much. It was awful. 

   Shiro crossed the room and sat next to him, grabbing him and pulling him in close. “I know, babe,” he said. “I know it's cold out there. The heater’s on, don't worry. We’ll get you nice and warmed up.”

   Lance laughed softly and curled into Shiro’s embrace. “You better warm me up. It's way too cold for me. I need this.”

   Shiro kissed the top of his head. “When you're decently warm and can manage the will to go change into your warm pajamas, I'll make you some hot chocolate.”

   “With marshmallows?”

   “Of course. How  _ else _ would I make it? You know I'm not a calorie counter like Lotor. I need calories for all these muscles.”

   “Holy shit. Stop bragging about how muscley you are.”

   “You've always admired my muscles, don't try to lie to me.”

   “I never said I didn't like them,” Lance said indignantly. “I love them. You're just bragging.”

   “Hey if you've got it, flaunt it. Right?”

   “In  _ some _ cases. You don't have to flaunt it to  _ me.  _ I share a bed with you. I  _ think _ I know how great they are.”

   “You're sweet.”

   “You’re… ugh. It's too cold to think of a good insult. You're attractive, you asshole.”

   Shiro held him tighter, practically crushing Lance against his chest. “I love you.”

   Lance smiled. “I love you, too. I'm glad you asked me to move in with you after that lease of mine ended. Honestly? I hated that apartment. That apartment complex was so shitty.”

   “I know it was. God, how did you even  _ live _ there? You were surrounded by potheads and alcoholics, weren't you?”

   “Pretty much. My roommate was a pothead, you know.”

   “Seriously?”

   “Oh yeah. Now, I tried weed when I was in high school. I didn't really care for it. I was already a starving teenage boy, okay, I didn't need to get the munchies on top of that. So I didn't do it again. But that guy? Holy fuck. I'm not convinced there was ever a moment where he  _ wasn't  _ high. And he wasn't even normal with weed. Normal being, like, all chill and shit. He was a dick anyway, but somehow being high made him  _ even more _ of a dick.” Lance shuddered, both because of the chill still in his bones and the memory of living with that… man? Boy? Manboy? Boyman? “He was literally the worst. Thank you for saving my ass.”

   Shiro chuckled. Lance, with his head pressed against Shiro’s chest, heard the deep and joyful sound resonating from within. It was a sound he never got tired of. Most nights he used Shiro’s chest as a pillow instead of an  _ actual _ pillow; Shiro’s chest was admittedly a bit harder than a pillow, but the rise and fall of his breath and the strong beating of his heart made it a way better place to rest his head than any pillow could provide. 

   “Of course,” Shiro said. “I love you. I couldn't leave you to suffer anymore with him. I also couldn't let you move in with someone  _ else.  _ It had to be me. Well, me or Lotor. But Lotor’s place… you've seen it.”

   Lance nodded. “Yeah. God, that'd be an adjustment. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I can't believe he  _ actually _ has that house. I mean, I could fit like twenty of my mom’s house in there. A solid three-fourths of those rooms have  _ got _ to be useless. He lives there with, like, two live-in housekeepers. The fuck does he have all that space for?”

   “I don't fuckin’ know. I guess he has rich guy syndrome and just has to have a big house? Who knows. I'm sure he'd be thrilled if we moved in, though. Make better use of some of those rooms.”

   “Yeah. Probably. That'd be good. I'd really like for us all to live together one day.”

   “We will. One day. It sucks that our lease is still intact, doesn’t it? How long have we got left? I think we’ve got like… three months left? Give or take. I'll kinda miss this place, though. I’ve been renting this place for almost two years now. The landlady has always been  _ super _ patient and understanding with me. Isn’t she sweet?”

   “She is,” Lance agreed. He remembered the first time they met; Lance’s lease had just expired and Shiro’s still had about two months left to go, but she had totally understood when Shiro suddenly wanted to add someone else onto the lease. He promised that he was going to live there for at least another six-month term when that one was over. She, having been working with him for roughly  _ forever _ , had fully trusted him. He had been telling the truth, too. But what really struck Lance was that she was an older woman, a lady from a different time, who looked at these two boys in loveーboys of different colors, evenーand smiled, congratulated them for having such a solid relationship that they were ready to move in together. No hesitation. No judgement.

   That was more than Lance could have asked for. His hometown had been pretty conservative, pretty closed-minded. It was rough. He grew up in a place where, though his family said they would absolutely love him no matter who he became, there was a social pressure to be one way and not the other. And he just happened to be  _ the other way _ . He supposed that that was part of the reason why he doubted people to this day, why he tended to assume that people would judge him or hate him for stupid shit. He was afraid of what other people would do to him, what they’d say, about pretty much everything. His first heartbreak had been in high school. There was a boy in his math class, a boy with beautiful eyes and silky hair, that Lance had a massive crush on. He and that boy were decent friends, but when Lance confessed his feelings… it didn’t end well.

   And that was when he started shutting down. Now that he thought about it, that one initial rejection and the mean words that stupid teenage boy had said to him had caused most of his wariness. Ugh. Well, it was for the best that he had been rejected. He found out that day that the boy he liked was a huge piece of shit. Later on, when he had met Shiro and Lotor, he had been pleasantly surprised. Even if it had hurt at the time, even if it hurt to remember the insults that had been thrown at him that day and the backlash from the people he went to school with who just  _ loved _ to jump on bandwagons, it had been for the best. He didn’t regret it anymore.

   He snuggled closer against Shiro. “We should move in with him after this lease is up,” he said after a few moments of silence. “This place has kinda grown on me, but it’s so  _ small _ . I think we could do with an upgrade.”

   “You’re right,” Shiro said as he looked around the living room. “This place isn’t big enough for both of us. I’m sorry I tried to get you to shove all your stuff in here.”

   “Don’t worry about it. Lotor was totally fine with me dumping extras off in one of his spare rooms.” It wasn’t that Lance had an abundance of things, of course. He couldn’t afford to just throw money around at whatever pretty things he saw that he wanted. It had been hell trying to fit two people into an apartment that featured a tiny living room, a one-person kitchen, one bedroom that was small enough without the double bed, the tiny little closet, and the bathroom that didn’t even have a  _ bathtub _ and just had a goddamn  _ shower stall _ . There was hardly any room left in there after Lance had hauled all of his skincare routine into the place. 

   If Shiro was absurdly proud of how hard he worked to keep his nice body and all those strong muscles, Lance was absurdly proud of his beautiful skin. He took very good care of himself, putting on all kinds of moisturizers and lotions and sunscreens and  _ everything _ to keep his skin healthy. His hair had a tendency to get a bit unruly and always struggled against him when he tried to fix it, so he had given up on taking a whole lot of care of it. His attention had shifted to taking care of his skin. Shiro and Lotor both loved it, naturally, and what was even better was that Lance loved it, too. He didn’t always love everything about himself. He had a bad habit of being too hard on himself. But his skin? It was beautiful and he knew it.

   “Lance, are you warm enough now?”

   Lance nodded. “Yeah. I’ll go change. You make the hot chocolate. Then we can get started on the gifts, right?”

   “Absolutely,” Shiro told him. “We’ll have fun.” He kissed Lance’s head again before he got up to go change. This was paradise.

 

*

 

(Lotor)

I’m so tired. I hope you two have been having a better evening.

 

(Lance ♡)

Yep!

We’ve been working on our Christmas presents for everyone

 

(Lotor)

How is that going?

Send me some pictures if you’ve finished some!

 

(Shirogane)

Shirogane sent you a photo

Shirogane sent you a photo

Shirogane sent you a photo

 

(Lotor)

Ooh. I’m impressed. I had no idea you two were so crafty.

 

(Shirogane)

Oh, please. You know me. This is all on Lance. He’s the artistic one.

 

(Lance ♡)

Oh pffffft (´,,•ω•,,)

 

(Shirogane)

You are! All I’ve done is held things in place.

 

(Lotor)

Hang on.

Why are you two talking to each other over messages as if you aren’t sitting right next to each other?

 

(Lance ♡)

Because this is a conversation for all three of us, duh

We’re in group chat dummy

It’d be stupid if I mooched off of Shiro’s account or vice versa

 

(Lotor)

Fair enough.

 

(Shirogane)

You said you were tired, though. Rough day?

 

(Lotor)

You have no idea. My client is incredibly dense and continues to refuse my advice.

I can only do so much for them in the courtroom if they don’t trust me outside of it.

It’s good I’m getting paid for this. I could never do this job if the pay wasn’t good.

 

(Lance ♡)

Wow gold digger

 

(Lotor)

Well, lawyers aren’t successful because they’re generous.

 

(Lance ♡)

You’re still really good to people though ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

There are some real dickbag lawyers out there

 

(Shirogane)

He’s right. You’re definitely one of the nicer ones. <3

 

(Lotor)

Aw, you two are so sweet. 

I wish I could be there with you right now.

 

(Shirogane)

Just a couple more days, right?

 

(Lotor)

As long as the case doesn’t get delayed any longer, yes. There’s been a few setbacks already. If this trend continues… 

 

(Lance ♡)

Do your best out there!

I know you can do it ヾ(｀・ω・´)ノ

 

(Shirogane)

Absolutely. You’ve got this.~

 

(Lotor)

You two are too much for me.

I’ll keep doing my best, then. If only for you.

 

(Shirogane)

We’ll make it worth your while, don’t worry.~

 

(Lotor)

Oh? You two have some sort of plan for my return?

 

(Lance ♡)

I dunno, do we, Shiro??

I can’t remember (ʃƪ¬‿¬)

 

(Shirogane)

Hmmmm… You know, I’m not quite sure either.

It would seem I’ve forgotten.

 

(Lotor)

Lord have mercy on my soul. You two are going to kill me. I love you.

 

(Shirogane)

We love you too. <3

 

(Lance ♡)

We do, even if we’re jerks sometimes

It’ll be fun, though! Promise!

 

(Lotor)

Evidently. You keep using punctuation.

 

(Lance ♡)

Oh pfffffffffft

Punctuation is so formal why would I need to be formal with you guys

You’ve both been up my ass I think we’re past using proper punctuation all the time

 

(Shirogane)

Lance oh my god you can’t just say things like that

 

(Lance ♡)

LOL LOTOR LOOK AT HOW RED HE IS

Lance ♡ sent you a photo

 

(Lotor)

Oh, God. Are you alright, Shiro?

 

(Shirogane)

I can’t deal with him holy shit please come home and help me

 

(Lance ♡)

You were just bragging to me about your muscles earlier! Don’t give me that shit. 

 

(Lotor)

The one who doesn’t use punctuation has been using it.

The one who does use punctuation isn’t using it.

What the hell is happening over there?

 

(Shirogane)

I’m dying that’s what’s happening

 

(Lance ♡)

Don’t be so dramatic. You’re fine.

 

(Shirogane)

Nope I’m dead

 

(Lotor)

What did I get myself into with you two?

 

(Lance ♡)

You know you love us (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

 

(Lotor)

Yes, yes. I suppose I do. 

I need to go to bed, loves. I hate to leave during such a fun conversation, but I do need to be up early tomorrow.

 

(Lance ♡)

Awwww

 

(Shirogane)

</3

 

(Lotor)

I love you. Be good.

 

(Shirogane)

I love you too. <3

 

(Lance ♡)

And I love you too!

Although, I can’t make any promises about being good

 

(Lotor)

You’re too much for me, you know that? You really are.

Goodnight. 

Lotor has sent a .gif

 

(Lance ♡)

NOOOOOO SHIRO YOU MADE HIM LIKE GIFS

I WAS TRYING TO GET HIM TO JOIN ME IN EMOTICON HELL

 

(Shirogane)

Haha! Victory is mine!

I wisfdjk

 

*

 

   “Lance!” Shiro yelled in surprise as Lance tackled him, undoubtedly scattering random letters into a message to Lotor. “Stop it!”

   “I refuse to be outnumbered by gif users!” Lance huffed. “Emoticons are so much cuter. They deserve to win.”

   They had fallen backward when Lance jumped on Shiro, though it wasn’t like they had very far to go from where they were already sitting down. Lance had abandoned his phone before he attacked and Shiro’s had slipped out of his hand and was now on the floor. 

   Shiro rolled his eyes and said, “There’s no competition between gifs and emoticons.” Shiro grabbed Lance by the hips and flipped him, pinning him down to the floor and grinning madly. “If there’s any competition between us, it’s the difference in our strength.”

   “Wow,” Lance said. “You’re gonna brag again?”

   Shiro leaned a little further now and pressed a kiss to Lance’s lips, a kiss that was returned. “Absolutely. Love you.”

   “I love you too,” Lance admitted before pulling Shiro down for another kiss. Lance moaned into the kiss, though he had to break away after a moment and say, “Hey. Save some of that for Lotor when he gets home.”

   “ _ Babe _ ,” Shiro practically whined. It was ridiculous that such a big strong man  _ whined _ when he wanted one of the others. “You  _ really _ think I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him when he gets home because of what we did now? He’s not coming back for a couple days. That’s far more than enough time to recover. You know that.”

   “And you know that it’ll be better if we wait. I know it sucks, you don’t have to look at me like that. Besides, we already kinda told Lotor we had something special waiting for him. We've gotta make it  _ extra  _ special. And he said to be good, so don't argue with me on this.”

   Shiro sighed and crawled off of Lance. “I know. You’re right. I hate it, though. I wish he was home already. I don’t like it when he’s not here with us.”

   “I hate it just as much as you do,” Lance said. “You remember the last time he left us all alone until he got home, don’t you? He told us to be good like he  _ just _ did and to behave and to keep our hands off of each other until he got back. When he got back, it was  _ incredible _ . Let’s just… try. We’ll survive somehow.”

   “It’s just hard to do,” Shiro replied. “I mean, God. You’re wearing one of my T-shirts, Lance. You know what that does to me, even if you’re wearing long pants.”

   “Should I go change, then? Would that help you stay strong?”

   “Absolutely not. The damage has been done. I need you terribly.”

   Lance laughed and grabbed a thin roll of green duct tape from their mess of crafting supplies. He threw it over to Shiro. “Suck it up. We’ve got more gifts to finish.”

   Shiro caught the tape. “Alright, alright. What’s next?”

 

*

 

   It was three days before Christmas. Lance and Shiro had been invited to Lotor’s house for a Christmas party full of his colleagues and past clients and their plus-ones, more people than Lance cared to count. Lotor, being the host, had to make his way through the crowds and mingle with the guests that had gathered. The guests had settled in the main living area, the kitchen, and the dining room, which were all connected with no walls or doors in sight. The open floor plan was a little hard to take in, what with the tile floors and the pristine white walls that were occasionally dotted with black floor-length curtains on either side of the windows or works of art framed in bronze frames. Lance was honestly afraid to ask if those frames were solid bronze. He really,  _ really _ hoped that they weren’t. If they were, he’d be dating someone who literally had  _ too much _ money and nothing good to use it on.

   The couches and chairs in the living area had been moved and pushed up against the walls, all of the tables arranged beside them or in front, to make room for a massive eight foot tall tree in the middle of the room. It was covered in red baubles and silver tinsel, topped with a shining star and surrounded by a white sheet around the bottom. Shiro and Lance had arrived in the early afternoon to help Lotor with the finishing touches on, well, everything. He seemed to trust their judgement on Christmas decorations more than he trusted his own, not that any of the three of them were particularly  _ festive _ . Lance loved making gifts for people every year, he loved the family gatherings and the food and the laughter, but, God, the whole thing had been blown way out of proportion over time. Still, the little kid in him couldn’t help but to run over to the tree and start feeling the pine needles, trying to see if it was real.

   It was. Lotor wasn’t going to bring in some ugly plastic tree for a party with important people. He had also said, “And, of course, I ask that you two be here with me for Christmas. I’d like that, for us to spend our first Christmas together. What do you think?”

   “My family will understand me celebrating Christmas with my boys,” Lance said with a smile. “They’re surprisingly proud that I snagged not one, but  _ two _ boyfriends. It’s kinda weird, actually. But they’re chill. I can absolutely come over.”

   Shiro had nodded and agreed, saying, “I never really have plans for Christmas. I’m not usually super into it or anything, but I’d love to spend this one with you guys.”

   Both of them were now wishing that it was actually Christmas and not a few days  _ before _ Christmas. They had accepted the invitation to the fancy party because it was important to Lotor that the people he loved were there too. They had also accepted because Lotor was a mess when it came to planning anything that wasn’t an intense legal battle, which was why they had shown up so early to help him finish things up. He had put far more effort into a stupid company party than Shiro or Lance ever would have, but they were friends with the people they worked with and hated their jobs, respectively. Lance was so ready to quit his damn job, but there was no way he could do that during the holiday season. He’d never be able to show his face in that store again until every single worker he knew had been filtered out and replaced with new ones, new ones who hadn’t heard the story of  _ Lance’s selfish holiday season escape _ . He had heard stories like that about past workers. He didn’t want to be one of them.

   Lance was currently sitting on one of the couches with Shiro. “I’m bored,” he muttered. “These people are all so… fancy.”

   “I know,” Shiro replied. “We, uh, we don’t really fit in with this crowd, do we?”

   “You’re a mechanic and I’m a convenience store cashier to try to pay for stupid college. I’m pretty sure we don’t fit in with the fancy rich people. I mean, God, look at that woman’s ring. That could probably pay my tuition.”

   Shiro struggled to make his laughter come out as a chuckle instead of an obnoxious snort. He had never actually  _ snorted _ before he started going out with Lance. Half the time, the things Lance said that made him make those noises weren't even things that most would consider to be funny. He chalked it up to him being hopelessly in love with the boy, so much so that even regular things he did or said made him laugh. “You're probably right,” Shiro said. “Did you see the guy she's with, though? I could probably  _ buy _ our apartment with that watch  _ alone _ .”

   “Shiro, I know for a fact that your favorite watch was, like, a hundred bucks. Don't give me that.”

   “Yeah, but that’s my good watch. I saved up my money to get it for special occasions. You know the watches I usually wear are, well, cheap.”

   “I don’t know why you still wear a watch,” Lance said, leaning over and resting his head on Shiro’s shoulder. “I mean, you have a cellphone. I have one. Lotor has one. All three of us have phones. Nobody needs a  _ watch _ anymore.”

   Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Funny. Did you forget that time you almost passed out on me when you saw me all cleaned up and dressed nicely? You weren’t complaining about my  _ watch _ then. Just admit it. You love fancy boys.”

   Lance shrugged halfheartedly. “I think most people do. Evidently, fanciness isn’t overly important to me. I wouldn’t be dating you if it was. I do the laundry, Shiro. Your clothes smell  _ so _ nasty every single time you come home. I don’t know how you can work in those things.”

   “I work with cars all day. Of course they stink,” Shiro said. “At least I’m less likely to get the flu. I’ve seen the gross, sick children people bring in there where you work.”

   “You’re gonna bring health into this? Nice. I get my flu shot every year. It’s a pain in the ass and to my budget, but at least I stand a fighting chance.”

   Shiro nodded and pulled Lance in a little closer. “We’re both idiots. Love you.”

   “Love you too.”

   Time seemed to flow differently in there, surrounded by all those strangers walking around with their noses in the air. It got dark early, the sun setting and its light fading, the room being filled with the glow of Christmas lights and lamps. It felt like maybe the whole of reality was altered as long as they were there. Shiro was barely managing to keep Lance awake; he really didn’t do well in formal settings like this. He knew he needed to stay awake and needed to keep his head in it, needed to make sure he didn’t look ungrateful or anything because he really was happy to have been invited, but he couldn’t help it. Lotor was off socializing, talking with his stupid lawyer buddies and rich clients who just  _ loved _ him. He and Shiro didn’t know anyone besides Lotor, so what was the point? It was getting later every second and the party still seemed like it would never end.

   He sighed. “Do you think Lotor would be upset if I went upstairs to sleep somewhere?”

   “He’d understand,” Shiro said. “Do you want me to walk you to a room? I don’t want you to get caught up in some bullshit all by yourself.”

   “If you wouldn’t mind, yeah. And when you come back down here, next time you see Lotor, let him know that I really wanted to stick around. I mean, I really do. I’m glad he saw it fit to invite us. I just can’t  do this kind of thing, y’know?”

   “Of course, baby. I’ll let him know,” Shiro said as they stood, Lance  leaning against him and walking slowly. “I’ve got you.”

   They made it to the stairs without issue. Getting up the stairs was a different story. Lance had fallen half-asleep just sitting on the couch with him, lying still against Shiro and not doing much of anything. They had grabbed all the snacks they had wanted from the kitchen as soon as they got there, stuffing it into a Tupperware container to keep with them so they wouldn’t have to fight with the snobby rich people to get food. Not that the rich people seemed to be eating much, anyways. They were all watching their figures, apparently. The holiday season was the  _ worst _ time to be on a diet. The boys would also look incredibly stupid if they walked over to the food in their shabby attempt at  _ formal _ clothing, then ate it like the regular people that they were, the type of people who didn’t care about looking fancy as they ate. They were just regular guys. Who cared how they ate?

   Shiro eventually sighed and picked Lance up, carrying him princess style in his arms up the stairs. Lance had almost tripped once, which was one time too many for Shiro’s taste. The last thing he wanted was for Lance to get hurt because he had been stupid and not picked up his boyfriend. He kissed Lance’s forehead as he climbed up the rest of the stairs. He didn’t put him down even after they got up to the second floor and the floor was smooth once again. Lance was honestly so out of it, he probably would have tripped over himself. Shiro carried him down halls, eventually ending up at the door of Lotor’s room. If Shiro let Lance sleep anywhere else and Lotor found out about it, he’d be upset. His bed was the best bed in the house, naturally, and thus was the only one  _ worthy _ of having Lance in it.

   He managed to open the door without setting Lance down. He walked him over to the bed and sat him down, helped him out of his shoes and his jacket and his jeans. He folded the latter and laid them on the end of the bed, sat the shoes down a little ways away from the bed. Normally Lotor only allowed shoes on the first floor of the house where the flooring was all tile and wood, but he wouldn’t mind that Shiro had carried Lance up there and then left his shoes on the carpet. Lotor loved Lance way too much to be upset about something stupid like that.

   Lance flopped backwards, apparently ready to sleep with his legs still hanging off the side of the mattress. Shiro couldn’t help but smile at how cute he was. He readjusted Lance so he was laying with his head on the pillows where it was supposed to go, then tucked him in and kissed him. Shiro couldn’t get enough of kissing Lance. It didn’t matter what the context wasーinnocently, romantically, sexually, who cared? He loved Lance. He loved kissing him. Lance was irresistible at times, driving Shiro absolutely crazy. Who gave him the right to be so… perfect? Perfect in every single way. The perfect person to lay on the couch and watch movies with, the perfect person to go on nice dinner dates with, the perfect person to take apart piece by piece in the  _ best _ kind of way.

   Shiro descended the stairs to rejoin the party, not that he was very interested. He sought out Lotor, looking over the heads of those of average height and around the heads of those wearing obnoxiously tall high heels. Lotor was on the opposite side of the room, talking with a man who had more wrinkles than hair. He weaved his way through the groups that stood in his way, eventually managing to get close enough to Lotor to get his attention.

   “Ah, my apologies, but someone else is trying to get me,” Lotor said to the man he was talking to. “Please excuse me.”

   “Of course, of course,” the man said. “Have a good chat.”

   Lotor rolled his eyes when the man couldn’t see him anymore. “You don’t like him?” Shiro asked quietly.

   “No,” Lotor said without hesitation. “But he’s a loyal client. He annoys me to death. But nevermind that. Is something wrong?”

   Shiro shook his head. “No, no, we’re fine. I just wanted to come tell you that Lance got really tired. I took him up to your room so he could sleep. He wanted me to come tell you that he wanted to stick around, but he just needed to go to sleep. You know how he is with boring formal things.”

   Lotor nodded. “Of course, of course. I understand. I’m sorry I couldn’t come keep you two company. I swear, every single time I turn around someone else is pulling me away. I tried very hard to make my way towards you, I really did, but these  _ people _ .”

   “Why’d you invite them all if they irritate you?”

   “Because I’m a nice person,” Lotor deadpanned. “Because I got stuck with the company Christmas party duty this year according to our raffle, that’s why. That means I have to invite the other people from my company. It’s also tradition for the party host to invite some of their more… wealthy clients. The wealthy ones bring the best food, you know.”

   “Wow. Classy.”

   “I really should just open my own office. I may be successful, but that success doesn’t mean anything when I’m sitting in a meeting room with my  _ superiors _ and they’re criticising everything I do that they think isn’t the proper way of practicing law.” He sighed. “But that’s irrelevant at the moment. Is Lance okay? He was just bored and needed to go to bed, yes?”

   “I would’ve told you if there was something wrong with him,” Shiro assured. “He’s totally fine. What time is it?”

   Lotor glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Good lord,” he said in surprise. “It’s almost midnight. No wonder he wanted to go to bed. He isn’t very good at staying up late, is he? Maybe I’ve had a few people approach me and say that it was time for them to leave, but I didn’t realize the time. I’ll start telling people that it’s about time to call it a night. I never intended for it to last this long.”

   “God, yeah. It’s late as hell. Do you need help clearing this place out?”

   “No, thank you, love. I can handle this.” Lotor kissed Shiro without hesitation, regardless of who may be around. “You go get into bed with Lance, alright? Keep him company. He’s so used to sleeping with you, I’d hate for him to sleep alone.”

   “Yeah. You’re right,” Shiro replied, ignoring the awful heat on his cheeks; really, he didn’t typically embarrass easily, but Lotor didn’t hesitate to kiss Shiro right then and there with a real, full kiss on the lips, in front of whoever. Without warning. That fact right there more than warranted a bit of embarrassment from Shiro’s side. “I’ll do that. Take care down here, alright? Don’t get into too much trouble.”

   Lotor grinned. “I’ll do my best. Go get comfortable and don’t bother waiting up for me. God knows how long it may take to clear this place out. I love you.”

   “I love you too,” Shiro said. “I’ll see you whenever you come up. Lance won’t. He’ll probably be passed the fuck out.”

   “And he should stay that way. He needs the rest. Now go, go! Go lay with him. I’ve got this all under control.”

   Shiro managed to tear himself away from Lotor and go back upstairs. He hated that there was only one of him, that he couldn’t spend time with both of them at the same time if they weren’t together. Of course he wanted to crawl into bed with Lance and hold him close as he slept. There was nothing better than being close to him. But he also wanted to stay with Lotor, to help him make sure that everything went smoothly. Lotor was a good guy, he really was, but he could get a bit too confrontational when he was angry, a bit too violent. His confrontational nature helped him fight in the courtroom, but his innate desire to dropkick anyone who crossed the line was definitely a problem. While Shiro worked out to make sure that he kept a good figureーone that he could really be proud of; he had been a scrawny little kid once upon a time and it had been a living nightmare for him since he dreamed of doing incredible things at that ageーand to remain in shape no matter what, just in case of something stupid like an upcoming zombie apocalypse, Lotor worked out because it gave him an outlet to release his pent up violent urges.

   Lotor’s muscles weren’t as big or prominent as Shiro’s, but goddamn, the guy could probably punch a hole through a sandbag if he tried hard enough. He was incredibly good at punching things. Thank fuck he stuck to punching bags and didn’t actually punch anyone in the face the way he wanted to. 

   Shiro took off his shoes and clothes once he was in Lotor’s room, leaving on only his underwear. He had never liked sleeping in much more than that. He wrapped an arm around Lance and Lance snuggled close to him, drawn to Shiro even in his sleep. Shiro pressed one last kiss to Lance’s head before he, too, fell asleep.

   The next thing he was aware of was the feeling of Lotor crawling into bed on the other side of Lance, laying his arm over him and reaching out to touch Shiro, too. He was never going to get tired of this.

 

*

 

   Lotor wasn’t entirely surprised that he was the last one in bed by the time he woke up. The bed was cold; how long had the others been up? He yawned and sat up. There had been three robes lying on the end of the bed, each one ready for someone to put it on as a protection from the cold air, and three pairs of houseshoes by the door to protect their feet from the cold hard floors downstairs, of which only one pair was left behind. Even if the heating system was working just fine, it was the middle of winter. The cold was a way of life this time of year. He grabbed the last robe and slipped on the houseshoes on his way out of the room. He silently cursed himself for oversleeping. They hadn’t been up any later than usual the night before, so he blamed the warmth and heaviness in his stomach that came from drinking hot chocolate with them not long before bed.

   The house was silent as he walked down the stairs. The smell of coffee reached him, though there was no scent of food. He found them on one of the couches in the living area, staring out the large window that looked out into the backyard. They had moved the furniture all back into place the day after the party Lotor had hosted. The tree was now just behind the couch, the lights on it all glowing gently despite the intense bright light filling the room.

   The curtains were wide open. What they were looking at was the snow, falling gently and slowly building up on the ground. “Good morning, you two,” Lotor said as he approached. “I’m sorry I slept so long.”

   They looked over the edge of the couch and around the tree. “Morning,” Lance called. “Are you gonna get some coffee?”

   Lotor shook his head. “Not right now. Perhaps in a little while.” 

Lance lifted the edge of the blanket he was snuggled under with Shiro. “Come sit with us, then. Come watch the snow.”

   Lotor did what was asked of him, sitting on the couch next to Lance and smushing him in the middle. Lance deserved to be in the middle. He deserved to receive love from both sides. “It wasn’t snowing last night. Does this still count as a white Christmas?”

   “I’m not sure,” Shiro said. “I guess? I don’t see why it wouldn’t. I mean, it’s still Christmas. It’s just the day, not the eve. Christmas is Christmas, right?”

   “Makes enough sense to me,” Lance said. “Christmas is Christmas no matter how you look at it.” He took a small sip of his coffee, though it tasted more of peppermint creamer than actual coffee. “Did you sleep well, though? I mean, you must have if you were asleep until ten.”

   “It’s  _ ten _ ?” Lotor asked.

   “Yep,” Lance said. “It’s ten. I woke up like an hour and a half ago. Shiro woke up about a half hour later. We were waiting for you, but you took  _ so long _ that we went ahead and made coffee. Sorry about that.”

   Lotor waved a dismissive hand. “You know I don’t drink much coffee anyway. You two are the coffee addicts.”

   Shiro rolled his eyes, not that he really meant it. “I drink coffee in the morning because I have to be awake to focus on, I dunno, making sure that a car doesn’t fall on top of me while I’m working on it.”

   “I drink coffee because I have to work with the general public and they suck ass,” Lance said. “They make me want to fucking die if I don’t drink coffee in the morning to keep my mood stable. I don’t really want to fucking die, so. Coffee it is.”

   “Honestly, Lotor. I don’t know how you do your job without ass loads of coffee,” Shiro said. “I don’t think I’d be able to stay awake.”

   Lotor smiled. “It’s just a treat for me, an indulgence once in awhile. I don’t know how you two drink it every single day.”

   Lance took another sip. “Do you guys wanna go make snowmen or something later? I haven’t made a snowman in forever. I’d like to give it another shot.”

   “You’re adorable, holy shit,” Shiro said. “That sounds fun. I’m in.”

   “I’ve… never made a snowman, actually,” Lotor admitted. “You’ll have to teach me, if you don’t mind.”

   Lance grinned. “Of course. I can do that. We just have to wait for the snow to finish. Maybe it’ll be thick enough when it’s done that we won’t get an unnatural fuckton of leaves and sticks and shit in the snowman.”

   “Alright. A little waiting never hurt anyone,” Lotor said. He scooted a little closer to Lance, as if there was any spare room. “I love you. Both of you.”

   “I love you, too,” Lance said.

   Shiro nodded. “Yeah. I love you, too.” 

   And even though Lance hated the cold, they made the best damn snowmen he’d ever put together.

 

*

 

   Lance sighed happily. This was the  _ life _ . It was still cold as balls outside, so it was only natural that the three of them try to find something fun to do indoors. And, goddamn, they found something. He was totally spaced out at the moment, struggling to hold a coherent thought after a long round of some of the best damn sex he’d ever had. It wasn’t like he had been with a lot of people before Shiro and Lotor, of course. The number was actually pretty small. Fuck, though, he was glad of it. He could’ve made a whore of himself and he probably would’ve loved all the attention, but this? Right there, right then, he was  _ so _ glad he was the kind of person who liked to know someone before he fucked them. Or, well, before they fucked him. That was usually how it went.

   He knew he needed to get up and shower or something, but, honestly, fuck that. He was practically covered in sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead, the back of his knees all but dripping after they had been bent for so long. The boys did not show him any mercy. He  _ loved _ it. He loved the way they tossed him back and forth between them, the way they tried to steal him away from each other. They always cooperated when it came to utterly destroying Lance, but there was an unspoken competition between them. Who could make him feel the best? Who could make him scream the loudest? Lance wasn’t keeping track but he knew they were. He just  _ knew _ it. He knew that they were keeping running totals in their minds, each one trying to one-up each other when it came to how fast they could take him apart or how desperately he would beg when they dragged it out.

   Frankly, he didn’t care. He didn’t care who was winning or losing their little unspoken competition. It felt  _ good _ . When they decided to team up on him, he didn’t know anything but that he was sweating and drooling and occasionally crying as they pushed and pulled him around, pinned him down and bruised him and  _ fucked _ him  _ just _ the way they knew he liked. He wasn’t aware of any masculine, alpha dog bullshit going on between them when he was the center of both of their attentions. All he was aware of was the pleasure coursing through his veins, the shocks of it every single time they nailed into him.

   There were three different types of sex that happened between them, regardless of if it all of them together or just two. The first was, naturally, defined as making love. It was the softest and most gentle of all, a haze of love and sweet pleasure surrounding them. It was slow and calm, full of kisses and touches and soft gasps, an act more about the love between them than about actual  _ sex _ , sweet passion instead of a desperate grab for pleasure. Their relationship was weird and all of them knew it. Regular people didn’t have two boyfriends. They teased each other a lot, gave each other a hard time, but they knew how they all felt. They laid bare their emotions when they made love, put feeling good emotionally ahead of physically.

   The second was sex. It was a bit faster, a bit harder, a bit rougher. It was the kind of thing that made Lance shut his eyes tightly as one of them thrusted into him, the kind of thing that made his breaths come in gasps and made him moan. Those moments couldn’t really be defined as  _ bonding moments _ , but God, they were nice. Even as he was held tightly, even as he was bent a little further and a bit more pleasure was wrung from his body, he could feel it. He could feel the adoration for him, the way they wanted to make him feel good both emotionally  _ and _ physically.

   And then there was the one Lance was currently in the process of recovering from. There was  _ fucking _ . It was screams torn from raw throats, bruises and bites and scratches, hands grasping for any kind of purchase and toes curled tightly. It was arched backs and admittedly bizarre positions, hard and rough with emotions thrown mostly to the side, only revived in brief questions of, “Are you alright? Am I hurting you too much?” and whispers of, “Goddamn, you’re so beautiful. I love seeing you like this, baby. That’s it. That’s my good boy.” There was torture and pleasure all rolled into one, tears in Lance’s eyes and drool dripping from where his tongue hung out of his mouth. He always got teased, the others treating him like a fucking dog whenever he did that, but it wasn’t like he could  _ control _ it. And sometimes when he did that, when his mouth hung open that way and both of them were there with him, they’d put him on his hands and knees. Whoever wasn’t fucking him stopped his assault on other parts of his body and kneeled in front of him, looked him dead in the eyes and told him to put that tongue to use. And he did. And he  _ loved it _ .

   The fact that even one of them truly desired him was enough to blow his fucking mind. The fact that  _ both _ of them wanted him  _ at the same time _ was almost beyond comprehension. They always made him feel so,  _ so _ good. The least he could do was return the favor. It was  _ perfect _ being sandwiched between them, having those feelings taken and given time and time again. His boys treated him well. There had been rare occasions where one of them shoved him against a wall and said that they were just going to  _ take _ , they were going to have him just the way they wanted and he would have to obey. He always agreed wholeheartedly; he  _ wanted _ to be dominated,  _ wanted  _ to be used. Even though they said it was all for their own benefit, he knew better. He was well aware of the way they moved, they way they somehow always managed to find a position that made Lance’s eyes roll back in his head. They were fucking  _ liars _ .

   That night, Shiro had sat behind Lance, cradling him in one arm and using his other hand to stroke him in a slow, torturous way. Lotor had smirked and licked his lips before pushing in. And even though the pace was slow, the thrusts were hard. He moaned and cried out every single time. At first, he had a bit of trouble figuring out what category this fit into. Somehow it seemed to be all of them at once, driving him  _ insane _ and making him beg. Maybe it was fucking? No, it was too sweet for that. But it certainly wasn’t making love, nor was is just plain sex. It was something different. Something he didn’t quite understand but desperately needed more of.

   He was a bit dead to the world at the moment, though. He was laying in the middle of the two of them, trying to regain control of his breathing after what he had just experienced. Sometimes they made it hard for him to breathe, what with the gasping and the screaming and the moaning and the begging and, well, everything. Both of them had a hand on him, Shiro playing with Lance’s hair and Lotor tracing shapes on Lance’s stomach. Lotor had already licked him clean. It should’ve been gross, the way Lotor had been so thrilled to press his tongue to Lance’s skin and lick up every last drop of his pleasure, but it wasn’t. It made him feel even better than he already did. Maybe it was just because he’d only suck the dicks of people he loved, but it felt like something really special. It felt like he was something precious and that every part of him was treasured. He closed his eyes.

   “I love you guys,” he said after a few moments.

   “We love you, darling,” Lotor said. “We  _ adore _ you.”

   “You’re perfect,” Shiro told him. “Absolutely perfect, you know that? You’re so pretty. So good. I don’t know what we’d do without you, I really don’t.”

   Lance smiled. “That’s gay.”

   “Lance, you were begging for Lotor to fuck you literally five minutes ago,” Shiro pointed out. “I appreciate the sentiment, but…” 

   “Look,” Lance replied, “I never said that I’m not gay. I was just pointing out that you’re gay, too. Everyone in this bed is fucking gay.”

   “That sounds about right,” Lotor agreed. “Speaking of, I have a question. Shiro, dear, when are you going to let me fuck you again? I mean, I love darling Lance here, but I feel like you don’t get  _ nearly _ enough attention. And Lance is far too sweet to be on top of you that way.”

   “I at least get a front row seat though, right?” Lance asked.

   “Of course, dear,” Lotor said. “You’ll be the guest of honor.”

   “Niiiice.”

   Shiro sighed. “You guys suck.” He looked over at Lotor. “I don’t know. We’ll play it by ear. I’ll let you know.”

   Lotor sighed now, though far more exaggerated than Shiro had been “Fine. Whatever you say. I’ll be looking forward to it, you know.”

   “Yeah, yeah. I know.”

   Lance pulled one of the blankets up further around him, almost burying his head with it. He yawned and said, “Well, as much as I’d love to stay up and discuss how gay we all are, I wanna go to sleep.” He yawned again for added effect. “Is that alright?”

   Lotor reached over and turned off the lamp on his nightstand. “Of course, dear. It is late, isn’t it?”

   “You always keep me up too long,” Lance muttered as he was smushed even more by their bodies, lying almost suffocatingly close. He loved this. “Goodnight. Love you.”

   Shiro kissed his forehead and Lotor kissed his temple. They both said their  _ goodnight _ s and their  _ I love you _ s. If there had still been a light on in the room, Lotor and Shiro would’ve shared a particular kind of look. But it was too dark for that. Well, there was always tomorrow.

 

*

 

   Lance had trouble believing that he was the last one to wake up, but there he was, the only one left in bed. This must be what Lotor felt like all the time. 

   He found the others downstairs, Lotor reading a book on one of the couches and Shiro standing at the stove where he was making… pancakes? Yep. Pancakes. Lance shuffled over and wrapped his arms around Shiro as best as he could; Lance’s arms weren't short, but Shiro’s body was huge and strong. “Morning,” he muttered. 

   Shiro smiled. “Morning. I can't believe you slept so late.”

   “Told you guys last night, didn't I? You wore me out. I was super tired.”

   Lotor looked towards the kitchen from where he sat reading. “We’d like to talk after breakfast, if you don't have any other plans.”

   Lance rolled his eyes. “When do I  _ ever _ have other plans? It's winter break. Shit, though. I've still got a shift this afternoon. God, please kill me.”

   “Can't do that,” Shiro replied. “We love you too much.”

   Lance sighed exasperatedly. “I hate my fucking job. Please kill me or get me a new job.”

   “We’ll see what we can do about that job,” Lotor said. He grabbed a bookmark from the coffee table in front of him and put it in the book, closing it and laying it down. “You deserve a better job.”

   “I really do.” Lance let go of Shiro and wandered over to the couch, flopping down next to Lotor. “How long until breakfast?”

   “Just a few minutes,” Shiro promised. “I've got this.”

   Lance waited impatiently. His stomach was rumbling by the time Shiro walked over to them, delivering their plates before going to grab his own and coming back. A silence settled as they ate, one that would've been comfortable except for the fact that Lance was more than a bit curious about what Lotor and Shiro wanted to talk about. 

   It hadn't sounded bad when Lotor brought it up, but there was a part of him that wondered if… no, no, that was  _ not _ it. He  _ knew _ that they really,  _ really _ loved him and wanted him to be with them. He was  _ not _ going to let the Lance from a few months ago convince the current Lance that they wanted to get rid of him. They didn't want that. They wanted  _ him.  _ He knew it. 

   Well, all of that aside, the pancakes were wonderful. Shiro always cooked for the two of them at their place, though Lance sometimes baked some cookies or a cake or whatever. When they were here with Lotor, it was either Shiro or a hired cook who worked in the kitchen. Lance and Shiro knew for a fact that Lotor didn't know the first thing about cooking for himself. It was a bit pathetic, really, that a grown ass man in the modern world couldn't cook for himself. But, then again, he had been born into wealth and had been able to make use of that starting platform to acquire his own wealth. He had grown up with people doing things for him. He might be able to learn if he tried hard enough, but he didn't seem very concerned about it. Lotor’s inability to take total care of himself and his unrealistic desires for things he didn't need were encompassed in that thing  _ rich guy syndrome _ that Lance and Shiro always joked about. The guy was a mess. Both of them had wondered at some point or another how they had fallen in love with him, but hey, it happened. There was no going back now. Not that they wanted to, of course. 

   Lance took all of their plates to the kitchen and put them in the sink when they were done eating. “So,” he said as he walked back to the couch, “what did you guys wanna talk about?”

   “The two of you moving in with me,” Lotor replied without hesitation. We said already that it would be done eventually, but Shiro and I aren't sure if you're quite ready yet. Maybe you want to live out another lease in an apartment before coming here. Or perhaps you're more than ready to come stay here.”

   Lance paused, standing in the middle of the room and staring. “You're really asking if I'm ready to move in here or if I want to live in an apartment for awhile longer?”

   “You like it at our place,” Shiro chimed in. “And you've gotten used to living with me. Living with two of us might be a bit more difficult. I mean, I know you said that we should move in here anyways and the option has been on the table for a while, but…”

   “You guys are fuckin’ dumb,” Lance said, resuming his walk to the couch. He sat down between them and looked up at the ceiling. “Of course I wanna move in here. I mean, it is gonna be a pain to get used to. This place is farther from my college than our apartment is, so I'll have to start getting up  _ even earlier _ and that sucks, but it'll be alright. Nothing I can't handle. I love you guys enough to deal with all of your bullshit.”

   “Aw. So sweet,” Shiro said, poking Lance in the ribs. Lance slapped Shiro’s hand and gave him a look he had learned from his mother. Shiro, being the good boy he was, knew that that look meant he’d get his ass beat if he did it again. He wasn’t afraid of  _ Lance _ , not really, but he was afraid of people could pull off the mom look without being a mom. 

   Lance’s features softened with a smile. “Seriously, you guys are idiots. I’m totally ready to get out of the apartment. Let’s do it.”

   Shiro nodded. “I’ll let the landlady know we won’t be renewing the lease, then. We still have some folded up boxes in the closet from when you moved in with me, but… God, we’ll have to get a bunch of other boxes for me and the rest of your stuff and  _ ugh _ , what a pain. We’ll work it out, though.”

   “I can easily hire some movers,” Lotor said. “I’ll find luggage and boxes for you, too. I would never let you two do it all by yourselves.”

   “You don’t have to,” Shiro said. “I’m plenty strong.”

   Lotor looked over at him with a look that said  _ nonsense _ . “I refuse. Even as strong as you are, you’ll get tired packing boxes and taking them down the stairs to the car or truck, then going all the way back up to get more and repeating the process until you  _ finally _ clear the place out. I don’t know how you two have done it, but you’ve managed to cram so much stuff into that tiny apartment that there’s just no way you could  _ possibly  _ do it without help.”

   Shiro groaned. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, seriously.”

   “You were just complaining about moving, Shiro,” Lotor reminded him. “Don’t even start with me. I’m hiring some help.”

   Lance laughed. Oh, man. This was gonna be good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two was pretty much done when I posted chapter one the other day, so that's why I'm able to update so quick. I'd had chapter one done for awhile. Y'know how it is. So the next and probably last chapter might be a little while?? Idk how long, exactly, but since this is just my Camp NaNoWriMo project I can't imagine that it'll be very long. It'll totally be done by the end of the month, maybe a couple days after in the worst case.~


	3. Any Riches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Lance finally move in with Lotor. The three of them settle in rather well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO this chapter probably could've been better but fuck it man I liked writing it so whatever,, also it features more of Lance getting laid so that's cool

   Lance slowly walked to the nearest couch and sat down, extending his legs in front of him to take all of the weight off of his feet. His leaned his head back and closed his eyes, sighing heavily and wishing he had a job that would allow him to buy a really  _ good _ pair of sneakers. He felt the couch dip beside him. He opened one eye to look over. 

   “You okay?” Shiro asked. “You look exhausted.”

   Lance shook his head. “My feet hurt like hell. My back is killing me. My neck is sore. I wish I was dead.”

   Shiro huffed in amusement. “Me too, babe. Me too. Moving  _ sucks.  _ I'm starting to remember why I lived in the same apartment for so long.”

   Lotor walked over and rested his arms on the back of the couch, leaning forward and sticking his head between theirs. “I told you that the movers were a good idea. You'd be even worse for wear if we hadn't hired them. You're welcome.”

   Lance groaned. “ _ Lotor.  _ Since you hurt the least, could you please bring me a glass of water?”

   “What's in it for me?” Lotor asked. 

   “I'll suck your dick when everything stops hurting if you'll bring me a water.”

   Lotor laughed. “That's adorable.” He kissed Lance’s head. “But I might feel bad about taking advantage of you like that. I'll get you the water for free.”

   “Mmm. Such a gentleman.”

   Lotor walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. “I don't know why you two insisted on doing so much of the work,” he said as he filled the glass with ice and water. “I couldn't believe how much you helped take to the moving van and then take in when it arrived here. That's what the movers are paid for.”

   Shiro would've shrugged if he was sure it wouldn't make his arms literally fall off of his body. “I don't care if that's what they're paid for. Like you said before, we had a lot of stuff in there. It would've been a douche move to make the movers do it all because we were too lazy.”

   Lotor came back over to the couch and sat down after he handed the glass to Lance. “You're absurd. I wonder why I love you two.”

   “Because we have nice butts?” Lance suggested, taking a sip of the water. “Don't try to deny it. I saw you checking us out earlier.”

   “Well, it would have been a shame if I didn't look,” Lotor replied. “I have to take advantage of every chance I can get. That being said, I don't love you  _ just _ because of your butts. They do help, though.”

   “Pervert,” Lance muttered before he took another drink. 

   “In his defense, we do have nice butts,” Shiro said. “Let's be real.”

   Lotor nodded. “Thank you, dear. I'm glad you understand. Whenever you stop hurting from the move I'll be able to remind you two of just how much I love them.”

   “Trust me, babe, we know,” Shiro replied. 

   “We do. We aren't stupid,” Lance added. 

   Lotor sighed. “That's no fun. You two are so mean.”

   Lance drained the remainder of his water. “Yeah, yeah. Love you.”

   Shiro barely nodded. “I love you too.”

   Lotor stretched his arms and yawned. “I love you two, too.”

   If Lance had had the energy to open his eyes again after he had forced himself to lean forward and put the glass on the table, he would have rolled them. 

 

*

 

   Lance readjusted his jacket. It was spring and he didn't really  _ need _ it, but he didn't need it in summer either and he still wore it. He loved his jacket. God, he hated to do this, but… he took a deep breath and walked into the mechanic’s place. 

   “Hello?” he called out when nobody seemed to be around. 

   Shiro popped out from behind a corner. “Hey there,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

   Lance smiled and sighed. “Well,” he said, miserably yet as sweetly as he could manage. “My car needs an oil change and I'm no good with that sort of thing. I was just wondering how much that might cost. See, I don't have much money…”

   Shiro walked over to Lance with long, almost predatory steps. He put one hand on Lance’s waist and cupped his face with the other. “It's a simple job. I think I could do it in exchange for a really good kiss.”

   Lance sighed and reached up, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s shoulder as best as he possibly could. “I  _ suppose _ that works for me. But, my dear handsome mechanic, what would your boss think?”

   “Something tells me my boss will be very understanding,” he replied. “So how about it? A kiss for an oil change?”

   “Hmm,” Lance mused. “My conscience says  _ no.  _ I don't think the rest of me quite agrees.”

   Shiro didn't waste any time in pulling Lance closer and kissing him breathless. They'd been together long enough that not every kiss or touch or glance sent his heart racing the way it used to. Every now and then, Lance would think that he had finally adjusted to being with Shiro, to being able to be close to him. Then Shiro did something like this, kissing him as though the world was about to end, and Lance’s heart was pounding again and he might have been moaning into the kiss but it didn't matter because he wanted  _ more.  _

   He didn't get it. “Gross,” Keith said as he walked by. At his sudden arrival, Lance and Shiro jerked away from each other in surprise. Keith rolled his eyes. “Don't act like I'm gonna tell your moms, goddamn. You're adults. You can kiss. Just, I dunno, do it somewhere where the rest of us don't have to see it.”

   “What, like you and Hunk have never kissed in public?” Lance asked, probably a bit fiercer than the situation called for. He couldn't help it. He was friends with Keith, sure, but sometimes he still really hated that guy. 

   Keith shrugged. “Maybe a peck or two. Nothin’ like that. God, if you're gonna eat each other’s faces off, at least do it in the break room or somethin’.”

   “Can't,” Shiro said. “I'm about to go change the oil in his car. No trips to the break room for me. At least, not right now.”

   “So help me God, Takashi, if you have sex in the break room, you're fucking fired,” Keith said, sending an overly serious look at him. 

   Shiro remained unconcerned. “I know you and Hunk haveー”

   “ _ Takashi. _ ”

   “I'm just saying, double standards are shitty things to have.”

   Lance got up on his tiptoes and whispered to Shiro. “What'd they do?”

   Shiro whispered back. “They absolutely jerked each other off over lunch break once or twice.”

   Lance snickered even as Keith’s eyes threw daggers in their general direction. “That's fuckin’ gay,” Lance whispered once again, though he was sure Keith could probably hear him. He wasn't being as secretive as he could be. 

   Shiro nodded. “Absolutely.” He pressed another kiss to Lance’s lips, softly and quickly, before asking him to drive his car into one of their open spots. Lance did as he was told. 

   While Lance stood to the side and watched Shiro do his thing, he heard another set of footsteps approaching. He glanced up and saw Hunk wandering his way into the work area. “Hey, Lance,” he called out when he noticed him there. “Everything good?”

   “Yeah, I guess,” Lance replied. “Just using my body to get a free oil change from Boyfriend Number One.”

   “Aw, I’m number one?” Shiro asked from where he worked. 

   “Only because I'm getting free manual labor from you at the moment,” Lance joked. “Seriously, there's not a fucking ranking. You're just currently Number One because you're closest right now. That's how Number One and Number Two works.”

   “Hypothetically,” Hunk started to say, which usually meant it wasn't a totally hypothetical question, “who would be Number One and who would be Number Two if you guys were all… y’know.”

   Lance looked around the shop to make sure nobody else was around. It was empty other than the four of them, so he shrugged and said, “Depends on the circumstances. If I'm only working with one dick at the moment, that one’s Number One. If I'm workin’ with both of ‘em, whoever’s closest to my face, I guess.”

   Hunk stood dumbfounded. “I… didn't think you were actually gonna answer that.”

   “Shouldn’t’ve asked if you didn't want an answer.” Lance laughed. “You should see your face, though. Holy shit. Are you okay or did I totally shatter your false image of my innocence?”

   “Uh, the second one.”

   “Dude. You've known me for  _ years _ . You can't honestly say that all this time you've thought I was some kind of angel.”

   “I never said  _ angel _ ,” Hunk said. “I thought you had more shame. Enough to not answer that fucking question.”

   “Yeah, sorry about that,” Shiro said, not even looking away from his work. “I think Lotor and I really destroyed that shame. Don't think he has any left.”

   Lance stuck his tongue out, not that Shiro was looking. “Not true. I still have shame. Just, maybe not as much as I used to. Why should I be ashamed, anyways? It's not like I'm doing anything  _ wrong.  _ Y’know, free country. No law against this shit.”

   “Never said you should be ashamed,” Shiro replied. “Just sayin’. You used to be a lot more… well, ashamed. Embarrassed. That kind of thing.”

   Keith looked up from his phone. “Not sure you guys did the world a favor when you took all that away.”

   Shiro shrugged to himself. “I don't know about that. I think it's good.”

   “You're insane, Takashi,” Keith said. 

   “Maybe. At least I'm not embarrassed to kiss my boyfriend in public.”

   “I'm not embarrassed!”

   “Is that so?”

   “I just… dislike seeing other people kiss and stuff. So I don't wanna make them see me do it.”

   “Lame.”

   “Wow. Fuckin’ rude.”

   Shiro shrugged again, now away from the car and stretching his arms. “Whatever.” He pulled a nasty rag out of one of his pockets and wiped his hands as he walked over. “Lance, you’re good to go. Love you.”

   “Love you too,” Lance replied. He stole another kiss from Shiro real quick, ignoring any sideways glances from Keith. “See you at lunch? Or at home?”

   “You started making lunch for me so I don’t have to keep eating convenience store sandwiches, Lance,” Shiro reminded, pulling Lance into his arms. “I might come by to visit. Not sure yet. Depends on how business is going around that time. If it gets busy, I don’t think I’ll get to see you until tonight.”

   Lance sighed. “Lotor’s gonna be late tonight. You guys are just gonna leave me all alone, aren't you?”

   Shiro shook his head. “Don't worry, baby. I'll be home soon. Be good, okay?” He leaned down a little closer to Lance’s ear and whispered, “You know I can't resist asking you for another payment. If you're good, I'll reward you. If you're not…”

   Lance was sure he was blushing, but he tried to put on a confident smirk anyway. He whispered back, “Of course. How else am I ever going to fulfill my crazy porn fantasies?”

   One of Shiro’s hands drifted downward and grabbed Lance’s ass. “Babe, come on. You know I'm gonna do my best to leave your  _ fantasies  _ in the dust.”

   Lance was  _ definitely blushing _ now if he hadn't been before. “You're the best fantasy of all.”

   “Damn right.”

   Lance chuckled. “Seriously, I need to head back to work. I love you. See you later.”

   Shiro sent him on his way with one last kiss. 

 

*

 

   “ _ Shiroooo _ . Stop being a jerk,” Lance groaned. “I was good. I don't deserve this torture.”

   Shiro grinned. “So what do you want me to do?”

   “You  _ said _ you were gonna fuck me. There is currently no fucking happening. I'd like for you to fix that.”

   “I  _ guess _ I can do that,” he said, finally reaching for the lube. “You were good. I suppose you deserve it. Lotor might be mad that we aren't waiting for him, though.”

   They were both naked, clothes somewhere Lance didn't care about. And Lance was painfully hard. Had been for, like, fifteen minutes. Shiro had deliberately been avoiding anything behind kissing and a few touches and some dirty talk. Lance was a sucker for Shiro’s dirty talk. It was so  _ unfair _ that he was so good at it. He always got Lance all riled up that way. Lance was so fucking ready to be touched that he moaned softly when Shiro’s lube-coated finger finally pressed against his entrance. 

   “You can be a real whore, you know that?” Shiro asked before he could stop himself. He hurriedly tried to make it less of an insult. “I mean, it's justーit's nice, I like you just the way you are, Iー”

   Lance rolled his eyes. “You know I don't take that kind of talk seriously.” He grinned a bit. “I'll be a whore if you want me to be.”

   Shiro was roughly kissing him before he knew what was happening. His moan was a good bit louder than the last one, what with the tongue in his mouth and the finger in his ass, one that was almost immediately joined by a second. His hands fisted in Shiro’s hair. This was the  _ life.  _ He deserved this. Shiro always made sure he knew that he deserved it. 

   Lance had been being thrown between Shiro and Lotor long enough that the time that it took to prep him had significantly decreased. Like.  _ Significantly.  _ There was a third and it didn't hurt the way it used to, didn't burn the way it had when they had first had sex. It just felt  _ good.  _ Overwhelming. Perfect. But not enough. Shiro broke the kiss to start biting at the crook of Lance’s neck the way he knew he liked. Lance managed a breathy plea. “ _ Please _ ,” he whined. 

   He jumped and let out a surprised and pleasured noise when Shiro’s fingers found his prostate and gave him utter hell. His toes curled at the onslaught and he knew that he was making stupid noises, but really, who fucking  _ cared _ ?

   He had tried to be quiet the first time. The first time Lance slept with either of them, both of them were involved. Both of them were, well, big. Lance had hit the fucking jackpot. But like any riches, it had taken time to get used to. That first time had been sex. At least, once they finally got to the part with dicks in butts. Shiro and Lotor had bickered for, like,  _ forever _ about who was better for him at the moment since he was slightly less experienced than they were and they didn't want to hurt him too much. They had eventually decided that Lotor could have the honors; he was a bit longer than Shiro was, but he wasn't quite as thick and that, apparently, made him the better candidate. Lance had just let them figure it out between the two of them. He didn't care who was up his ass as long as someone was. 

   Since Lotor had been decided upon, Shiro had taken up prep duty. Not that he seemed to think of it as a  _ duty _ ; he  _ loved _ preparing Lance, stretching him open and taking him apart on his fingers. But Lance really had been experienced back then and it had hurt at first. It took time, way too much time, before he thought he was ready for the main event. And when that time came, he had tried desperately to keep himself under control. He had been told once that the noises he made in bed were too loud, too obnoxious. The last thing he wanted that nice was to irritate the boys, so he had bit his bottom lip so hard he almost bled. 

   And then a pair of soft lips was pressing against his own. He didn't remember who it had been who kissed his teeth loose from their grip on his own lip, but he had remembered both of them telling him that it was okay to be loud, okay to make noise, that they  _ wanted _ to hear how good they made him feel. He had complied. Ever since then, it was customary for them to fuck him until he screamed. 

   Which was exactly what Shiro was doing in the present. Lotor could reach deeper than Shiro could, but goddamn, Shiro stretched him out further and it felt  _ so _ good. 

   “Funny. I don't remember getting an invitation to this,” Lotor said as he walked into the room. 

   Shiro didn't stop. Didn't give Lance a chance to talk. “I'm sure we could fit you in here somewhere if you want.”

   Lotor waved a hand and sat down in a chair in the corner. “I don't mind watching. I've got a good view from here.”

   Lance shouted when Shiro gave a particularly hard thrust. “Sh-Shiro,” he managed. “ _ Shiro _ !”

   Shiro gave Lotor a look. “As much as I love our little talks, I have business to attend to.”

   Lotor nodded in understanding. “Of course, dear. Go for it.”

   Shiro dragged another scream from Lance’s throat. 

 

*

 

   Lance would say that he wasn't sure how he got in this position, but that would be a lie. He had worn that shirt and those tight pants Lotor liked when he brought lunch to his office; Lotor was having a busy day and didn't have time to go out and get his own lunch, but apparently he had time to fuck Lance on his desk instead of eating. Not that Lance was gonna complain or anything. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't fantasized about this. Even though Lotor loved it when Lance was loud, it was a luxury they couldn't afford as long as they were in his office. Lotor had taken off his tie and shoved it into Lance’s mouth to keep him quiet. 

   This probably shouldn't have been as hot as it was. Maybe that was  _ why _ it was hot. Lance knew that this was Lotor’s workplace, that any one of the people who worked with Lotor could come in to talk to him at any time, that Lotor was blowing off important work to have a few minutes of absolute pleasure. The desk was at a  _ really _ good height for sex. Lance wasn't convinced that that wasn't the exact purpose of the damn thing. 

   Even Lotor’s tie couldn't fully muffle the sounds Lance made as he came. Lotor followed a few moments later, leaning over and resting his forehead on Lance’s. He took the tie out of Lance’s mouth so he could better catch his breath. “You're beautiful,” Lotor breathed. 

   “Mmm. So are you,” Lance replied. “That was pretty awesome. We should do this again sometime.”

   Lotor’s laugh was warm and low. “You're welcome any time you like. I'll always find time for you.”

   “Do you have time for another round?” Lance asked. “Asking for a friend.”

   Lotor kissed him without hesitation or self-control. He pulled away to say, “Tell your friend that I absolutely have time.”

   Lance pulled him back down to kiss again. “He says that works for him.” He was distinctly aware that he was staring down the barrel of a gun, probably going to die from not taking a fucking break, but fuck it. The painful pleasure of Lotor’s version of overstimulation was  _ awesome.  _ It wasn't that Shiro was bad at it, of course, but Shiro had a bad habit of waiting too long to go for it. He was too fucking nice sometimes. 

   Lance took the initiative and put the tie back in his mouth. 

 

*

 

   When Lance and Shiro had been moving into Lotor’s house, they had both been a bit nervous. They had spent a good few nights with Lotor, but  _ living _ with him was totally different. They were both worried. They were both concerned that the three of them wouldn't live well together and that it might cause a rift in the relationship. They had been wrong, thank God. The three of them had fallen into a comfortable rhythm, a type of harmony that couldn't be replicated. 

   None of them had thought that they would get to a point in their life where they'd be in bed with two other people who  _ both  _ loved him and that he loved in return, but damn, this shit was nice. They lived their days in a haze of love and happiness and pleasure, even if a couple of them hated their jobs. Even if one of them had an awful school life and was  _ so _ ready for it to be over that he could taste it.

   Lance had been burned before. He had been used and tossed aside like a tissue, he had had his face shoved in the dirt. He had convinced himself at some point that it was best to give up on romance even if he was young, to throw away the very concept because it was starting to seem like nobody could ever really love him in the pure, traditional way. Who would want to put someone like him up on a pedestal? Who would want to kiss him every day, laugh at his stupid jokes, hop in the shower with him, tell him that he was all manner of nice things? Who would want him in bed? Who would ever care?

   Then those two had come along. A small voice in the back of his head had been yelling the whole time, telling him that he was stupid and that he shouldn't trust this and that it was all going to go wrong, but he had eventually strangled that voice with his bare hands. He had killed that damn voice. He was in heaven. He was loved. He was  _ worshiped.  _ There wasn't an inch of him that they hadn't touched, hadn't praised in some way or another. Every part of him had been shown affection. They loved him. He loved them.

   Shiro, well, he was a mess. He'd been through some shit that he didn't like repeating. He had lost his family, he had lived on the streets for awhile, he had learned how to fight the hard way. He had wondered if he'd find someone that made him feel like he was worth the space he took up. He didn't like to admit that he didn't think he was anything special, that he felt like he could be replaced in the blink of an eye, but he had told Lance and Lotor about all of his stupid insecurities. And they still accepted him. They still wanted him, even if he wasn't always the big strong man he acted like he was.

   They told him that he was Shiro, regardless of his self-esteem level at any given moment. Insecure, confident, who cared? He was kind, brave, strong, loyal, understanding. He put Lance and Lotor back in their places when they needed it, telling them to sit the fuck back down and listen to what he, or anyone else, was saying. He kept them together. He kept them in line. They needed him and they loved him and they made him feel  _ special _ in a way he never had. He belonged with them.

   Lotor had gotten used to people wanting him because of his family. He came from a rich family, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had never known what it was like to want for anything material. His life had been soft and easy, full of beautiful things and delicious meals and fancy schools. He had eventually grown to feel ashamed of himself, ashamed for ever feeling sorry for himself when he had all of the things that he had, but how could he not be miserable when everyone he had ever been friends with or dated had come around because they knew his father? Because his father owned a very successful tech company and their family had more money than they knew what to do with? People didn't see  _ him _ , not even when he went to college and law school and opened his own practice. They saw his family. They saw his bank account. They saw an opportunity to connect with him and other rich people, to mooch as much fancy shit as they could. He had fallen for it too many times. 

   But he wasn't afraid of Shiro or Lance taking advantage of him. They never asked for much, just for him to get dinner now and then or something of the like. Every expensive, fancy thing he bought for them was bought out of his own free will, not a sense of obligation. He wanted to give them nice things. They didn't ask for anything but his love, something he was more than willing to provide. They deserved both love  _ and  _ nice expensive things. He gave them both. He gave them everything he could because they were the two people who had ever truly  _ loved  _ him and not his wallet, the people who had fallen  _ in _ love with him instead of just loving him since he was family like, well, his family. 

   And there was one last thing they had all been worried about, though none of them actually had the courage to say it. They were all terrified of what other people would think of them. Even in the modern world, a boy with a boyfriend could be shunned without warning. A boy with  _ two _ boyfriends? Who were both also boyfriends with each other? That was some crazy shit. The two of them that still had families had to worry about how they would react. All of them had to worry about how their friends would react. The one who most hated his job wasn't overly concerned about what his co-workers or his boss thought, but the one who loved and was successful at his job had been especially concerned. 

   They hadn't had much of a reason to worry. Families wanted their boys to be happy, friends wanted them to be in love. And co-workers? Ah, fuck ‘em. Nobody needs friends at work. The work environment was a never ending competition for a higher rank and better pay, anyways. Except for Shiro. He had a pretty chill work environment. 

   The three of them were all in bed, relaxing before it was time to go to sleep. Lotor was sitting up and reading a book, Shiro was reading an article on his phone, and Lance was mentally planning for tomorrow. 

   Shiro and Lotor had sat him down when he arrived home in tears, asked him what was wrong. When he had explained the shitshow at work that day, they  _ finally  _ convinced him that it was far past time for him to quit that stupid job. Their relationship concerns aside, the people that Lance worked with were all pieces of shit anyway. They treated him terribly and his pay was awful. What was the point? As long as he lived there with the two of them, the men who loved him and swore to protect him, he'd be fine. Lotor made it more than clear that it would be his honor to take care of Lance financially until he could find anotherーbetterーjob.

   As much as it pained Lance to rely on Lotor that way, he knew deep down that the boys were right. He needed to get away from there. It had brought them both into his life, for which they were all immensely grateful, but since they had become a  _ thing _ , the store hadn't produced any other good things. It just stressed him out and made him miserable these days; he was beginning to think that life would be better if Lotor just fired his house keepers and cooks and everyone and let Lance be a housewife. 

   But since he had student loans he had to pay back one day, he couldn't do that quite yet. For now, was going to go to work tomorrow and quit so he could find a better job. He wasn't sure if he needed to put in a two-week notice or if he could just walk out right then and there, but he was going to quit. He was going to get out of there. 

   It was bittersweet, actually. Of course he was ready for  _ that _ chapter of his life to be over. Of course he wanted a better job where he was appreciated and not worked to the bone each and every single day. A part of him, however, would miss it. 

   He was going to miss the place where Lotor brought him roses and Shiro came in all stained with oil. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And don't worry my dudes they all lived happily ever after

**Author's Note:**

> Idk if anybody wants to further discuss the possibilities of shancelot, but if you do, you can always find me here~ twitter.com/pastelkanan


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